Fallen Badges
by Azalea419
Summary: It's no secret Arcadia PD and Fire House 81 don't get along, at all. When Officer Alex Winchester discovers her drunken, one-night stand partner was Firefighter Castiel Novak, rivalry and jealousy flare. But dark forces are at work in the City of Arcadia as someone begins targeting police officers and firefighters alike. After all, all heroes must fall. Calex!lemon!AU
1. Chapter 1

**Yes, 911? I have a problem and I need help. I'm obsessed with Calex. Okaythanksbye.**

**Full Summary:** Everyone knows that Arcadia Police Department and Arcadia Fire House 81 has never gotten along. Rookie Officer Alex Winchester is very aware of this, since her father, Police Captain John Winchester, seems to hold the most hatred for one firefighter in particular, Fire Captain Lucifer Pellegrino. And when Alex has a drunken, one-night stand with the hottest man she's ever met, she regretfully files away the memory and continues on with her life. Unfortunately, fate has other plans, and she quickly discovers that recently ex-candidate Firefighter Castiel Novak was the sexy hunk she met that night. Things get even worse when someone starts to target police officers and firefighters in the City of Arcadia. After all, all heroes must fall.

**Notes: **Creds to River Winters for the inspiration!

**Warning: **Lemony smut! Lots of it.

**Disclaimer: **Nothing's mine but the plot and words.

* * *

**City of Arcadia, Squad Car A781**

**Monday, November 11****th**

**19:18**

"24-Paul, 10-97."

Hearing her FTO's voice in her ear, Alex unbuckled her seat belt, sliding out of her patrol car without any difficulties. She patted the hood fondly, scanning her surroundings as she approached the scene she'd just pulled up to. One other patrol car sat running next to the sidewalk and she was glad she hadn't been the first responder. Caleb Blacker slammed the passenger door and grumbled as he shifted the heavy duty belt on his hips. She tried not to do the same with hers, though the weight was pushing on her hip bones painfully. _Two more months and then you can relax…_

Dispatch echoed, "24-Paul, 97 with 23-Paul."

Joining Arcadia Police Department had been pretty easy given that she had come from a _long _line of Arcadia police officers; she had a grandfather, a father, two brothers, a smatter of cousins, and many dead relatives to attest to that. It was the Academy that had been a different story. Alex considered that the darkest and most trying part of her life; it was there that she'd come the closest to giving up and turning her back on the family legacy. If it hadn't been for her partner and fellow rookie, Jo Harvelle, she might have done just that.

Alex and Jo were both two months fresh out of the Academy and eight weeks into the sixteen week Field Training Officer program. They had been sisters in suffering and now they were sisters in arms. Jo winked at her from the doorstep of the residence, clipboard in hand. On her other side, Cpl. Dean Winchester was speaking to a distraught women in the open doorway.

Yeah, Jo's FTO was Alex's oldest brother. Alex was envious and at the same time sorry for her friend. Dean could be a real pain in the ass sometimes about protocols and whatnot. But at least he wasn't a frigid robot like Caleb. Alex sighed as her FTO fell into step next to her, both of them walking up the pathway to the house.

As they approached the door, Jo angled her body a little in order to include them in the conversation. Alex flashed a polite smile to the woman in the doorway who was dabbing at her teary eyes with a wrinkled tissue.

"These are my partners, Officer Blacker and Officer Winchester." Jo said amicably. "They're here to help."

"Hello ma'am." Caleb dipped his head in acknowledgement. "May we speak with your husband?"

It was always better to talk to the parents separately. Alex caught the puzzled look the woman threw her way, eyes flicking down to her shiny, gold nameplate: _ . Yeah lady, Dean's my brother. _She got that question all the time. Alex cast a sideways glance at the clipboard in Jo's hand as she passed – just like she'd thought, a missing person's report. She'd thought it was one of those bogus calls, where the helicopter parents called on their kids who had been gone for like thirty minutes. She tried to recall the call history that Caleb had pulled up on the Mobile Data Terminal. Mr. and Mrs. Branson had called in to report their fourteen year old son, Justin, missing after he hadn't come home from football practice. They'd called his coach, his friends, checked every place they'd thought he could be. The little turd was probably someplace he shouldn't be and asked his friends to cover for him. Too bad his parents had called the cops.

"Um, y-yes. Brian's in the living room." Mrs. Branson's voice was timid and she sounded like she was going to cry again.

Alex was thankful she was bypassing the bawling mother. She was never really good at calming down hysterical people. Caleb followed her inside, where she immediately spotted the father sitting on a couch in the living room, his head in his hands. He looked startled when they came in.

"Hello, Mr. Branson? I'm Officer Winchester and this is my partner, Officer Blackburn." She would've gone for a handshake but the man didn't stand.

He glanced at her name tag and then at the door where her brother stood. Yup, it happened every time she ended up at a scene with her brothers or her father. Alex sighed again and tried to regain his attention.

"We're just here to ask you a couple of questions about your son?" She stayed a safe distance away, just like she'd been taught in the Academy. _Primary initiates contact with the subject while secondary acts as cover. Watch his hands. Remain in defensive stance. You never know what to expect._

"I already told the other officers everything I know." Mr. Branson frowned, rubbing what looked like tear tracks from his face.

_Keep your voice neutral and friendly. Remind him that you're here to help. _"I understand that, sir. We're just being thorough. Is there anything you can tell us that might help us narrow down the possible places he could be? His favorite places to hangout or eat? A best friend's house?"

Mr. Bransone shook his head and swallowed thickly. "No, no. We called all of Justin's friends. No one's seen him. I even drove around downtown to stop by all his favorite spots. I know he's not there and he would tell us if he was gonna go anywhere. Justin's a responsible boy. He wouldn't just disappear like this."

The man's voice rose with each sentence and Alex could tell he was getting worked up again. Alex looked at her FTO for support, but Caleb just gave her a standoffish look. He was letting her take the reins on this one and that meant taking control of the situation.

"Okay, Mr. Branson." Alex moved closer, pulling out her notebook. "Do you remember what Justin was wearing today?"

And on it went. Alex asked every possible question to get a full picture of the boy's description, jotting it all down on her notebook. Caleb stood to the side, silent, arms crossed over his chest. She could hear Jo asking Mrs. Branson all the same questions. How tall is your son? Where was he last seen? Do you think he could be hiding at a friend's house? What time did his football practice end? Does he have access to a car? All the routine questions to get a bearing on the case. Alex had been excited driving to the call because she'd never worked a missing persons case before, but it turned out to just be like every other call – asking questions, doing paperwork, dealing with distraught parties. At least she didn't have to write up the report; Jo and Dean had gotten there first so they would take point. She hoped the boy would turn up soon; it could get a whole lot more complicated if he really did end up missing or kidnapped.

When they were done with their questions and reassuring the parents that "they were doing everything they could to bring their son home and to please keep their phones on hand in case they had to reach them", Alex and Jo left the house with their respective FTOs. The detectives would handle follow-up investigation.

They stood by Jo and Dean's patrol car as Jo relayed the information over the radio. Dean dug in the truck for the additional paperwork and thrust the papers at her. Alex caught them in surprise.

"Are you kidding me?"

"Rookies get the paper." Dean smirked.

She decided not to say anything back. It was always hard deciding when to treat her brother like a brother and when to treat him like a senior officer. Alex shivered as a breeze snuck through the thin fabric of her uniform jacket and crowded closer to the warm hood of the Crown Victoria.

"How much do you wanna bet he's doing something illegal?" Jo appeared at her side with the bulk of the papers, a pen in her hand and a flashlight under her arm.

Alex snorted. "Teenage boys."

"You better make sure those are neat and tidy." Dean barked. "If even one of my reports get kicked back this time, I'm gonna make you do it a hundred more times."

"Yes, sir." Once Dean had turned back to his conversation with Caleb, Jo rolled her eyes at Alex. "It's always the ones he writes that get kicked back. My handwriting is perfectly legible."

Alex chuckled. "Oh I know. His handwriting's always been crappy."

"Looks like this is gonna be my entire night." Jo said forlornly, pen flying across paper.

Alex didn't envy her friend. She hated when they arrived at a call that ended up demanding the remaining hours of their shift. She'd rather be canvasing the neighborhood and talking to people. Most law enforcement officers felt that way, but unfortunately, paperwork was integral part of their job.

"Sucks for you."

Jo and Dean would probably have their hands full with this call; they'd wait for the go from Sgt. Jody Mills and then call in for the off-duty Crime Scene Analyst to come take a look. Afterwards, maybe they'd do the prelim search if the detectives were too backed up. Lots of waiting.

"Thanks for the support." Jo said sarcastically.

"You're welcome." Alex shot back, smiling as she finished the last paper Dean had given her. "Here, I did these for you. We should meet up for dinner. Pizza?"

It wouldn't hurt to make plans if Dean and Jo ended up being sprung free from the call.

"Thanks." Jo didn't look up as Alex shoved the pen back in her breast pocket. "Sounds good. You sure Blacker will be up for it?"

Alex shrugged. "We'll see."

Caleb ended up _not _being up for it and she couldn't say anything about it, not if she wanted to get through training with flying colors and stay in the good graces of her FTO. Dean and Jo ended up still tied up with the missing persons call. So they grabbed subs from the Subway by the highway and ate in silence, parked in the empty, back lot of the local library. Caleb was more of a lone wolf than a team player, preferring to cruise around on his own instead of hanging with the pack that congregated downtown this late at night. She, on the other hand, liked hanging around the other officers, trading stories and forging friendships.

It was a slow night, the usual on a Monday in Arcadia. Most people had just finished a day of work after a relaxing weekend and preferred to stay in the comfort of their homes. Alex liked working nights, but she'd rather work the second half of the week instead of the first. But of course, as a rookie, she had no say in the matter and got the crappy hours. The only other excitement that happened that night was a minor kitchen fire that turned into a drunken bar brawl. Needless to say, tasers were deployed, the firefighters arrived on scene, and the mood foul.

She'd been raised into the rivalry, and everyone knew that Arcadia PD just didn't get along with Fire House 81. No one cared why, they just did. It wasn't hatred persay, because the police officers and firefighters respected each other in character and duty, they just competed at everything they did and took every opportunity to insult and undermine each other. It was kind of ridiculous actually. But community loved it because it always provided entertainment at the cook-offs, baseball, football, and soccer games, charity events, and every other social event in which both departments could be pitted against each other.

By the end of their shift, she wasn't even trying to hid her yawns. Caleb shot her a disapproving look as she turned off the engine, yawning loudly. Alex joined the rest of the officers on her shift in the briefing room, where they usually waited until a sergeant dismissed them from their shift. The sergeant on shift, Jody Mills, came in a few minutes after Alex and Caleb arrived.

"Alright, get out of here." She waved a hand in the direction of the door. "And drive safely."

Alex liked Jody. Most of the officers disappeared into the locker rooms after that. Alex waited a little for Jo or Dean to show up but after ten minutes, she guessed they were hung up on a call.

"Waiting on your brother?" Jody took of her jacket, unclipping her radio and setting it on one of the tables.

Alex smiled sheepishly. "Yes ma'am. He's my ride home tonight."

Earlier this week, some jackass on a motorcycle had zoomed by too close to her parked car and ripped off the side-view mirror, earning a place for a her sweet, black '69 Ford Mustang in the repair shop. She had been forced to hitch rides to work with Dean, who held it over her head to get her to do the grocery shopping. Alex, Sam, and Dean all owned apartments in the Parkway Apartment Complex a few blocks away from the station – like their dad, who lived in their Alder Canyon Townhome their lives revolved around their work.

Caleb, dressed in civilian clothes and freshly showered, stuck his head back in the briefing room. "You coming to The Roadhouse, rookie? Drinks on Anderson tonight."

The officers in Arcadia had built a habit turned tradition of going to The Roadhouse, a fine bar downtown and local hangout for cops, after their shift for drinks and chatting. It was a great way to build camaraderie and trust within the department.

She shook her head regretfully. "Not tonight. Looks like I'll be waiting on Dean."

"See you tomorrow, then." He left.

"I better get going too." Judy gave her an apologetic smile. "I'd give you a ride home, honey, but Sean's got a fever and well, you know."

Alex waved away her concern. "Don't worry about it. Go home, Sarge."

When Dean and Jo finally did return to the station, Alex had already changed, showered, and eaten half the grapes in the bowl dispatch had put out in their little cafeteria. They both looked pretty tired and Alex took it upon herself to drive Dean home, a good choice too since he fell asleep the moment she pulled out of the parking lot. He must've really had a long night to conk out like that. After rousing him, avoiding his instinctive punches and usual grumbling, she pushed him up the stairs to his apartment door; after making sure he was awake enough to lock the door behind him, Alex entered her own apartment, dropped her duffel bag, and crawled into bed.

Tuesday and Wednesday were not any more exciting. She heard the usual "Dean got a 5150 that pissed in the back of his car" and "Steve almost got a bite today, but the little twerp jumped a fence" and even "He was so drunk, when I got him to EDF, he passed out and cracked his jaw on the floor" but more commonly "It was those skate rats again". Alex hadn't been on the job long enough to tell any glory tales, but she enjoyed listening to the other veteran officers speak animatedly about theirs.

Four in the morning on Thursday, she forced herself to get up to go jogging with Sam. And as usual, they showered and dressed to meet Dean at their local café for breakfast before Sam went on shift. He worked the third shift, days on the second half of the week. She didn't envy him. Day shift was a thousand times more boring than night shift.

Friday, she met Jo and Charlie for girls' club night. Charlie worked as a veteran communications officer on Sam's shift, meaning Alex could text her for updates on her brother without actually interfering in her work. The other two girls got mildly drunk since Alex was always the unofficially designated driver. She didn't really mind; being drunk always left her feeling out of control and embarrassed so she tried to avoid it. She got to hear all the juicy details on how Charlie's virtual kingdom was doing – nerd! – and she even got the scoop from Jo on how Ellen had chewed out Squad One because one of their officers had flashed his badge trying to get out of a speeding ticket off-duty. Based on Jo's stories, Alex was determined not to get on the wrong side of Lieutenant Harvelle.

She slept all of Saturday and went back to work Sunday night. Two more weeks of nothing past, she enjoyed Ellen's Thanksgiving dinner with the officers who weren't on duty, the missing person's case got kicked up to Detective Bobby Singer, and she forgot all about it.

* * *

**Parkway Apartment Complex, Apartment #31**

**Saturday, November 30th****  
**

**09:47**

Alex was enjoying her last day off-duty – curled up on her sofa with a big, fluffy blanket and a cup of coffee with her favorite crime drama running on TV – when her phone rang. She ignored it the first and second time it rang, but when it rang the third time she knew it was important. Caller ID said it was Dean.

"I'm relaxing." She pulled a pouty face even though he couldn't see.

"Get your stuff Al, briefing in twenty. Be down in two."

"What's-"

He hung up. Alex threw her phone on the couch in frustration and peeled back the blankets. Damn it was cold. She hurried around the apartment, grabbing her equipment and stuffing it into her department-issued duffel bag.

"Keys, keys, keys." Alex ran from the counter next to the front door to the kitchen counter to her bedside table to the bathroom. "Where are my fucking keys?"

Alex checked her phone. 1 minute and 2 seconds left. She sat still for a second, trying to remember where she'd thrown her keys last night. _I walked in, closing the door, I had my jacket in my hand and I put them – _

"Aha!" Alex shouldered her duffel bag and plucked her keys from where they'd slid off the counter and into the plotted plant that sat conveniently next to the open edge. She hurried downstairs where Dean's Impala already sat running. He pealed out of the parking lot at an alarming rate.

"Woah, Dean, slow down!" She rolled the windows up to minimize wind damage as she wrestled her hair into a low bun. "What's going on?"

"It's the Branson case."

* * *

**Arcadia Police Department, Briefing Room**

**Saturday, November 30th****  
**

**10:17**

Alex had never seen so many blue uniforms squished into the briefing room. _Must be serious then. _It only made her more nervous. She was still new enough not to know many of the officers aside from the ones in her squad that worked her shift. She hadn't been able to get anything out of Jo, who'd been tight-lipped and shook her head, in the locker room. Based on the whispers around her many of the other officers were also out of the loop. She checked her watch. Sam was already out on patrol; would Squad Three be coming as well for the emergency briefing?

"Listen up, everyone." A voice at the front of the room immediately drew everyone's attention. "For those you who are unaware, I'm Lieutenant Eliot Ness, the on-duty watch commander. I know many of you are off-duty tonight, but we've called you in on an urgent matter. Detective Singer, if you will."

Alex watched the handsome, middle-aged man step away from the podium to allow Bobby Singer to take the spotlight. Bobby had been like an uncle to her growing up, having been her father's beat partner for more than ten years. Bobby opened the file in front of him, looking more serious than she'd ever seen him.

"Two weeks ago, Cpl. Winchester and Officer Harvelle responded to a 14213(b)(3). Mrs. Branson reported her fourteen year old son, Justin Branson, missing at 1918 after he didn't return home from football practice. The preliminary, secondary, and tertiary search of the surrounding neighborhood turned up nothing." Bobby looked grim as he pointed towards the board behind him; pictures, labels, and words constituted a set-up that the investigating officer had created. "We've exhausted all other leads and turned up nothing. However, we have reason to believe that _this man_" – Bobby tapped a finger on a picture of a man– "Duane Tanner, twenty-eight year old Caucasian male, blonde hair, green eyes, is our prime suspect. He has priors for 242, 245, 246, 487(a), 647(f)…and 243(b) with a 187."

Everyone in the room immediately stiffened. Alex dug her fingernails into her palms, the familiar surge of fury ignited by shared pride blossoming in her chest. Whispers of "cop-killer" hissed through the briefing room and Bobby paused to let the revelation sink in.

"Mrs. Branson has identified him as Justin's recently hired chemistry tutor. Today, we're bringing him in." Bobby said, holding up a handful of what looked like search warrants. "Squad one's got the workplace, Squad two's got the residence, and Squad four has the school. Our first priority is to find Justin Branson and bring him home, understood?"

There was a strong chorus of "Yes, sir!" and then Bobby said, "Let's get this son of a bitch."

Everyone sprang into action and adrenaline pumped hard in her veins. Alex shared an excited look with Jo across the room as she filed out with the rest of the Squad Two. She wondered if Duane Tanner would be in his home and what it would be like to breach the house. It would be her first warrant search on the job.

"Rookie, let's move it!" Caleb called, throwing open the door to the fleet lot.

Once she and Caleb were buckled up, Alex threw the Crown Victoria into reverse and trailed the other patrol cars peeling out of the lot. The excitement caused her head to buzz and her fingers to become restless on the steering wheel as voices overlapped each other over the radio, simultaneously providing comfort in her ear and information through the car console. The officers that had arrived at the residence before them were already putting out information over the radio.

"26-Sam to all units on Tac two. Initial perimeter in place. 23-Paul, cover secondary perimeter. All remaining units 10-23 on a tertiary perimeter." Jody was interrupted by dispatch.

"Station C to all units. Duane Tanner is believed to be armed and dangerous. Proceed with caution."

Her bulletproof vest had never seemed so heavy and constricting as it did then.

"Better to be safe than sorry." It was Jody again – Alex set her radio to Tac two, switching off scan to filter out the other squads' commands. "21-Paul, 22-Edward, 25-King, and myself will breach the front."

"23-Paul, copy. We'll take the southeast corner." A deeper voice responded and Alex knew it was Dean. "22-Paul on the northeast corner. 26-Paul on the northwest corner. 27-Paul on the southwest corner."

A heartbeat later she heard confirmation from the other units.

Alex eased off the gas pedal in dismay. It looked like she wouldn't be getting any action after all. She couldn't blame Dean for picking the closest units, but this meant she would be on the outermost perimeter, nowhere near the house. The MDT said pleasantly, "One message." Caleb turned the computer in his direction, allowing her to drive as he checked the message.

"Drop me off at the primary perimeter." Caleb said, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"Sir?" Alex turned to look at him, confused.

Her FTO gave her a hard look. "Sarge wants me in the breaching party."

Tamping down the feeling of dismay in her chest, she swung a hard left out of her route to the outer perimeter. "Yes, sir."

"You stay on the outer tertiary perimeter, got that?" Caleb was already half-way out of the car as she pulled up the scene where squad cars were already set up in defensive position outside the house. "You okay by yourself, rookie?"

She decided to give him an eye-roll. "Yes, sir."

He slammed the door shut and patted the hood in parting. Alex was unhappy separating from her partner. She felt that they were deliberately keeping her out of the action because she was a rookie. How was she supposed to get any experience if they didn't let her participate. She drove down the block, joining the other officers who were setting up the tertiary perimeter and parked her car in formation along with the other squad cars just like she'd been taught in the Academy. At least she was getting practice in defensive formations.

"23-Paul to 26-Sam, all secondary units in position." It was comforting to at least hear Dean's voice in her ear.

"26-Sam, copy. Breach team in position."

Two breaths later she knew the door had been kicked in when she heard voices yelling. She could hear them from all the way down the block. _Arcadia Police Department! _If he came barreling through the back, there were four cops ready for him and even more on the opposing street if he got through them and jumped the fence. If he came through any of the side alleys, there would be even two more officers waiting on the side. He would have to be stupid to come running out the front. The yelling ceased and silence settled over the residence and the surrounding area. She held her breath, wondering just what was going on inside those walls. Had they found him? Was he even in the house? Were the other squads going to get lucky and find him at the school or his office? Maybe _she'd _get lucky and he would somehow slip away and she would catch him before he got past the outermost perimeter. _That _would be a glory tale to tell.

The silence seemed stretch on forever, but when she looked back on it, it had only been a few seconds. A few seconds in which she licked her lips, her vision tunneling to include only the door, hyperaware for any sign of microscopic movement –

Caleb's voice screamed through her earpiece.

"_Bomb!_"

The blast rocked the entire neighborhood, causing her to stumble. It was a few seconds before she realized that the blue spots moving in her vision where officers abandoning the perimeter in favor of the house. She immediately began running towards the burning house, fear causing her heart to pound against her ribcage. She had only one thought: _Dean!_

The world was a cacophony of piercing sirens and jumbled shouting. Voices were screaming in her ear again.

"11-99! 11-99!"

"Officer down! Officer – "

"Multiple officers injured –"

"26-Sam to all units, report! Are you guys – "

"Dispatch! Clear the air – "

"Where's the suspect?! Has anyone – "

"What the hell just happened – "

"Sergeant Mills, what's your status?! What's – "

Officers were running out of the fire, others were running inside, and others lay on the ground unmoving. It was all chaos. She could see the wreckage where the house had blown apart from the inside, pieces of furniture crashing into the squad cars forming the primary perimeter. Debris littered the scene.

Alex had just passed the last of the squad cars and made it onto the front lawn when she tripped over a body. It was an officer she didn't recognize, but she did recognize the smell of burning flesh and the blood seeping into the pavement. Her throat constricted and she suddenly couldn't breathe. She couldn't tell if he was alive or dead. _Dean's still in there somewhere! _She shield her eyes against the smoke and heat as she desperately scanned for some sign of her brother. She was frozen in place, battling a tiny battle in her heart. Her duty was to serve and protect all of her brothers and sisters. _All of them_. She choked out a sob, falling to her knees next to fallen officer. She forced herself to roll him over, fingers digging into his neck to find any sort of pulse.

Alex fumbled for her mic. His nametag read _J. Anderson._ "23-Paul with 22-Edward, officer down – he got caught in the blast, I – I can't find a pulse." She coughed, inhaling the smoke that was coming on the wind.

"23-Paul, fire and medical are on their way. ETA 5 minutes."

She immediately began CPR.

_30 compressions. Two breaths. C'mon, breathe. C'mon. _

"C'mon." Alex muttered, breathing hard as she continued compressions. "Please, please."

She pinched his nose and placed her mouth over his. _Two breaths. C'mon Anderson._

She shoved her interlaced fingers down as hard as she could. When she grabbed for her mic again, her fingers were slippery with blood. "Where are those medics? I need those medics now!" She desperately cast a glance around to find there were more unmoving bodies, other officers administering CPR and emergency first aid just like she was.

Another officer dropped to their knees next to her, a first aid box clattering to the ground. She ignored them as they searched for the source of the blood. She didn't know how long she stayed there, pumping her hands into his chest, checking for a pulse every cycle. It seemed like an eternity before she heard the fire sirens.

Firefighters spilled on scene and she called to a paramedic to take her place. Her hands and uniform were soaked in blood. When finally, gloved hands replaced hers, she stood up and staggered back, taking gulping breaths of air. Nothing could get the scent of blood and ashes out of her nose. Her eyes watered as she scanned her surroundings. Someone had already set up a triage station on the surrounding block and officers in dirty uniforms were being treated everywhere by paramedics. Fire trucks and engines from House 81 were parked around the perimeter, firemen scrambling around the fire with hoses in their hands. Geysers of water were being poured onto the burning house.

Another person steered her towards the back of an ambulance and she realized she was in shock. Her hands were trembling uncontrollably and she couldn't speak. She just kept hearing Caleb's scream in her ears over and over again. _Bomb. _

When she spotted Dean standing by one of the unharmed squad cars, her legs almost gave out under her. He seemed wholly unharmed, only pieces of his uniform singed and soot covering every inch of his face and hands. Eyebrows drawn tightly together, he was speaking very harshly into his mic and she was glad to see that he was still functioning. _He's okay, Alex, he's okay. _

She shoved away the paramedic that was trying to treat her and walked briskly to her oldest brother. When he saw her, his voice faltered and he abandoned his mic to wrap his arms tightly around his shoulders. She hugged him back with all her strength; she needed to make sure he was real, alive, and okay.

"You're okay, thank god." Dean pulled away, holding her at arm's length. "Is that blood? Alex?!"

She found her voice again, laughing weakly. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was on the outer perimeter. This isn't my blood. Where's Jo? And Caleb?"

"Jo's okay. But Caleb…" Dean eye's tightened and his expression hardened.

Something tightened in her chest. She could read in his eyes what he wouldn't say. _Caleb didn't make it. _"Dean?"

"He was standing right next to the bastard when it happened."

The news hit her harder than she thought it would and she blinked the tears from her eyes. Caleb hadn't really been her friend, but he had been her mentor, no matter the brief length. He had been her partner, and she hadn't been there to have his back.

Alex swallowed thickly, trying to shove down her emotions. "What the fuck happened?"

"It was a suicide bomb. Tanner was hiding in the basement." Her brother gritted his teeth and she knew he was battling his own emotions as well. "By the time Caleb saw him, it was too late."

"What about the boy?"

Dean couldn't have looked more pale. "Dead. Tanner killed him a week ago. Fucker had the body stashed in his basement."

Alex was suddenly furious. How could someone just _do _something like that? How had things gone so wrong? She wanted to punch and kick and scream. _Why? _Dean's hand tightened on his sister's shoulder as he felt her tense up. He had experienced tragedies like this before and he knew it didn't get any easier. Alex was distracted from her anger by the commotion in front of the house. The fire was pretty much dead and the firefighters were sorting through the wreckage. She spotted the black body bags laid out on the sidewalk and felt like throwing up. There wouldn't be enough of the bodies to recover; bombs blew everything to smithereens.

"You should probably get back to the station." Dean squeezed her shoulder one more time before his hand dropped back to his side. "They're already clearing out the scene, calling all available units back on patrol."

"What about you?" Alex didn't think she could let her brother out of sight after his near-death experience. "I don't…"

"I gotta stay. Sarge needs me." Dean looked at his sister, his face softening. "I'll be okay, Al. Do you need someone to drive you or are you okay by yourself?"

_Are you okay by yourself? _The last words Caleb had said to her. Alex turned away from her brother, rubbing a hand over her eyes, willing herself not to cry.

"I'm good, yeah."

"Okay, Sam's waiting at the station."

She suddenly felt guilty that she hadn't asked about her twin. She hadn't realized that he might still be at the station, worrying about both of them. Alex took one last look at her older brother. She didn't want to leave him right now, she couldn't.

"Stay safe."

Dean's mouth twisted before he nodded. "You too."

Alex drove back to the station by herself, the emotional pain further magnified by the vacant passenger seat. Sam didn't ask her any questions, just hugged her for a long time. They held her back at the station for four more hours and she answered all the necessary questions. She was able to avoid the room where they'd placed Justin Branson's parents, but the entire department could hear their cries of despair. She was glad she hadn't been the officer to deliver the news. When she finally showered and changed, the sky had turned black with twinkling stars. It didn't seem fair that the night was still so beautiful after something so devastating had happened.

When she climbed into Sam's car, heart heavy with grief, he said. "They're having a tribute tonight at The Roadhouse for Caleb. Do you want to go?"

_No. _She nodded. It was only right to pay their respects to a fallen brother.

* * *

**City of Arcadia, The Roadhouse**

**Saturday, November 30th**

**22:57**

Alex hadn't gotten drunk in a while, but she thought tonight she deserved to numb out the pain. Plus, it helped to block out the pity stares every one kept giving her. At least someone had informed her that Officer Anderson was in the hospital and would make a full recovery. She was glad he was okay. She was pleasantly buzzed. She didn't know how many drinks or shots she'd had, but when she saw one, she drank it. Drinks were apparently on the house tonight and she wasn't the only one taking advantage of it.

Intelligence Officer Ash Lindberg sidled by to refill her shot glass. She had been surprised to learn that he bartended at the Roadhouse on weekends. He gave her a sympathetic smile before tending to another officer demanding another round. She glowered at his back.

Why was everyone looking at her like she was broken? Yeah, her FTO had died and yeah, she hadn't been with him when it had happened. But it wasn't her fault. It _wasn't_. Alex dropped her head into her hands, wishing she'd get drunk faster. And this wasn't the place to do it.

She slid off the barstool, making her way to the door to grab her cellphone from Sam's jacket. Her gun and badge still sat in Sam's glovebox and she felt weirdly guilty leaving it behind. It was a weird sort of loud in the Roadhouse. There were many more officers than usual, all of them here to commemorate Caleb Blacker and what he'd given to his country, and they were all talking. But they spoke in low, respectful tones that created a soothing, peaceful atmosphere. Alex couldn't stand it. She wanted to forget herself tonight. Forget the mistakes she'd made. Forget how she'd left her partner behind.

She sent a quick text telling Sam she'd take a cab home, and then left her cellphone along with her wallet (though she took a few bills) and keys in Sam's jacket pocket. She told herself she was just going to head out for some fresh air and then come back in. Alex stood on the sidewalk, staring down the street. The Roadhouse wasn't necessarily in the middle of downtown but it was near enough to walk several blocks to get to the clubs that vibrated with Dubstep and bodies. So, she headed that way. She was kind of cold and regretted her decision to wear shorts and a loose, sheer top; seeking out the warmth of other bodies, Alex walked into the first club she encountered, flashing her ID at the mean looking bouncer in the illuminated doorway. It was so dark and so loud inside that she couldn't hear herself think. Perfect.

She made a beeline for the bar, ignoring the writhing mass of bodies on the dance floor. She wasn't that drunk. Not yet, anyway. Miraculously, there was an empty seat and she squeezed into it.

She signaled to the bartender. "Gin and Tonic, please."

When her drink finally came, she nursed it slowly. Her eyes floated over the other faces crowded at the bar and she felt the sudden urge to flirt shamelessly. There were many attractive males with delicious bodies – or so she surmised in the dim lighting – and she was beginning to think maybe she'd have a harder time choosing a target than actually getting her flirt on when she felt a heated gaze on her from the other side of the bar.

His eyes were a startling shade of blue and the low light in the club made them a sultry, dark color. There was an invitation in his gaze that made rivers of heat spread across her chest. He had dark hair, tousled like someone had run their hands through it. When he saw her looking at him, a killer smile spread across his lips. It made her dizzy with want. She looked away then, unable to handle the rising heat of desire in her body. _Wow…_ Alex risked another look to find that he was still staring at her predatorily. She turned her whole body away from him and downed her drink quickly, ordering another one because she felt the need to hold something cold against her flaming cheeks. She hadn't been this turned on since…well since ever. And all from a freaking smile.

A disturbance drew her attention back to his side of the bar and Alex turned back around to see a flustered, drunken woman wiping at his tight, navy t-shirt with a couple of napkins. _Looks like she spilled her drink on him_. Her jealousy flared instantly as the pretty, busty blonde took advantage of the spill to roam his chest with her manicured hands. He politely avoided her greedy hands and hopped off his seat. The blonde was still apologizing and attempting to reach for him as he declined her help. She wanted to throw her drink at the bimbo's face. _Get off him, bitch. Haven't you done enough damage? _Alex was surprised at the heat of her jealousy. She didn't even know him.

The young man turned to head for the bathroom, but she was surprised when he looked over his shoulder and shot a daring smile straight in her direction. _That smile…those lips… _Alex could feel herself blushing profusely as he disappeared into the crowd. Jesus Christ, she was hot everywhere. Before she even knew what she was doing, she vacated her seat and left her drink behind, heading in the direction of the bathrooms. She wasn't as drunk as she'd have liked, but she was grateful that she still had most of her reason and clarity in mind as she approached the divide to the male and female restrooms.

She didn't hesitate before pushing open the door to the male restrooms.

He stood at one of the sinks, his ruined shirt in his hands under a steady stream of water from the faucet. Alex just stared. _Holy fuck…_ He was definitely one of the hottest men – if not the hottest man – she'd ever seen. He was lean, and definitely taller than her, with muscles that didn't bulge but defined his body in salacious ways. She couldn't help it; she allowed herself to follow the light dusting of hair that disappeared beneath the waistband of his jeans. Her whole body tightened and she swallowed hard. He looked up when she entered and a roguish smirk appeared on his wholly handsome face.

"You know, this is the _men's _bathroom." His voice was deeper, rougher than she had expected and it made her skin hum with heat.

Her bravado left as quickly as it had come and mortification took its place.

Alex blurted, "Oops!"

She turned on her heel, throwing the door open, and made a mad dash for the crowd on the dance floor. _Oh my fucking god, I can't believe that just happened. Holy shit! _Alex shoved her way into the middle of the dance floor and allowed herself to get lost in the tangle of limbs. The dubstep beat reverberated through the floor, echoing in her bones and making her head pound. _I just stared at him. I just fucking stared at him like a creep. _She dragged her palms down her face, embarrassment flooding through her entire body. _Okay, Alex, get yourself together. He's just one guy. It doesn't matter. Don't worry about it. There's plenty of other sexy guys here. _Alex tried to convince herself by throwing her body wildly with the beat, gyrating with the other bodies pressing up against her from every side. The music washed away her reason and she allowed herself to let go, closing her eyes. It got really hot really quickly with so many people dancing in such close quarters and soon, she was swaying and twisting to the rhythm that vibrated through hips, arms clasped above her head. Hands settled on her waist and she welcomed the feel of a hard body pressing into hers. She was slowly getting drunk on the music, the alcohol rushing through her blood, her lust rising again to match the beat as she ground her hips back into the hips behind her. Alex let her head fall back onto the shoulder of the man that had decided to dance with her, reaching back to tangle her fingers in his hair. She imagined it to be dark and tousled and his body to be lean and muscular. Suddenly, the feel of something cold on her back snapped her out of her sensual haze and she turned around quickly, puzzled.

Blue eyes, avidly dark, gazed back at her. Alex took a startled step backwards, dropping her arms, but he kept his hands on her waist, his smile amused and even a little chagrined. His navy t-shirt was damp, clinging to the defined planes of his chest. _Oh…_

"You." She didn't know whether to be mad or coy. Had he followed her into the crowd?

He hooked his fingers into her belt loops, tugging her closer, hips hard against hers and leaned down to brush his lips against her ear. "Hi. I'm Cas."

_Cas. _Knowing his name just made him even more appealing. Alex curled her fingers into his wet shirt and whispered, "Hi."

She was suddenly very shy in his embrace, embarrassed at how much he turned her on and desire raging for her to just rip his clothes off.

She turned her head so that her lips brushed his jaw and her heart slammed against her ribcage. "I'm Alex."

Tonight she was just Alex. She wasn't a Winchester and she wasn't a police officer. She was a really, really horny young woman who'd just met the sexiest man alive.

He said in a low voice that made her toes curl. "It's _really _great to meet you, Alex."

She moved slowly against him, her lust overcoming her suspicions, her movements melting into his as they swayed to the pounding beat that spilled out of the club's speakers. It was one thing seeing his delicious body and another to be pressed up against it, feeling all the curves, the dips, and the muscles. It was more erotic than she cared to admit. _He's so…Jesus, help me…_

She wanted him very, very badly.

Alex slid her hands up his chest slowly, amazed at just how unbelievably sculpted his body was – _Calm down, Alex. Calm down. _She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart as she clasped her hands behind his neck, pulling herself closer to him as she followed the circular motion of his hips with her own. Cas reciprocated, hands tightening on her hips to pull her flush against him. Alex gathered her courage and gave into her urges, pressing an open-mouthed kiss to the smooth skin of his collarbone. She felt him take a sharp breath and allowed herself a small smile –

And then his hand was tangling in her hair, tugging her head back, and he crushed his lips to hers. It was a heart-stopping kiss with carefully controlled hunger that made the whole world tumble at her feet. Alex gasped into his mouth, allowing him access to tease her tongue with wet touches from his own. He pushed her backwards, easily carving his way through the crowd, until her back hit the far wall. With nowhere to go, she was helpless as he attempted to crush her between his body and the wall, desperate to get closer, closer, closer. His blazing hands were suddenly everywhere, yanking at her hips, curled in her hair, gripping her jaw, brushing her cheek, cupped behind her thighs – he half-lifted, half-shoved her up the wall and she had to wrap her legs around his waist for support, shuddering as he grabbed her ass, rolling his hips into hers in an upwards motion . _Fucking Christ! _She broke away for air, gasping and blinking in the dark, clinging to him as he trailed wet kisses down her jawline and neck, nosing aside the sleeve of her shirt to sink his teeth into her shoulder. She felt like she was on fire, a whimper falling out of her mouth as he suckled hungrily on her skin.

"Cas, I…" She bit her lip, fingers tightening in his hair as he dragged his hot tongue across the bite mark. "Nngh.."

His devilish mouth left her skin and he looked up at her through his eyelashes, panting harshly. "Did you need something?"

She crashed her lips to his again, unable to control the desire that made her legs clench around his strong waist. He kissed her back with equal fervor, thrusting against her with a low groan. The friction made her curse whoever invented clothes.

"We should – we should –" She tried to speak against his mouth but it was hard not to get lost in his passion. "Cas, not –"

He claimed her mouth for one more wet, long, voracious kiss, sucking on her lower lip as he pulled away. Touching his forehead to hers, Cas stopped for the moment, their hot breaths mingling in space between their bodies.

"Your place or mine?"

Her heart hammered in her chest at his question, making her heady and drunk with arousal and excitement.

"Yours." She replied breathily.

She was almost sorry to have said it as he stepped back, letting her slide down his body so she could touch the ground again. Alex was already thinking about those hard hips again, only this time naked, when he laced their fingers together and pulled her through the crowd to the entrance. It made her giddy to realize that this was really happening and she was getting into a cab with a stranger – a hot, sexy, irresistible stranger. If she hadn't been drunk, she'd never put herself in such potential danger. But tonight, she wasn't reasonable, calculating Officer Winchester. _I'm a hot chick who just bagged the hottest fuck of her life._

Cas gave the driver directions, keeping one arm securely around her shoulders and she kept a hand on his chest, hugging herself to him. She became desperate for his lips again in the brief time that they were parted from hers and as soon as he was done talking to the driver, she had yanked his face back down to hers. He chuckled against her lips, a sound that made her heart flutter, and pulled her onto his lap so that she was straddling him. They didn't bother with seatbelts, which ended up being a poor choice when the cabbie swung a hard left and they slid across the backseat; Cas had to slam a hand against the window to keep them from falling.

Alex laughed in spite of the scare, drunk and uncaring. She just wanted him, more of him, all of him. Cas kept one hand against the door and one arm around her waist, continuously tugging her closer to him like he couldn't get enough. The cab screeched to a sudden halt and Alex had to break their edacious kisses to steady herself with both hands on the rear window pane. Cas's laughter rumbled deep in his chest, making a beautiful smile grace her own lips. She liked his laugh.

A moment of clarity came through the lust and she became still in his lap, placing both of her hands on either side of his face. He really was very handsome, and his bright blue eyes did things to her that she couldn't explain.

"Alex?" He was breathing heavily, lips wet and swollen, giving him a roguish appearance that made her desire leap.

Cas seemed puzzled by her sudden lack of wildness, but she was delighted to find that he couldn't seem to keep his hands away from her. He brushed his thumbs against the bare skin between the waistband of her shorts and the edge of her top that had ridden up in their passionate frenzy. She was amazed that he was even in the cab with her, still holding her to him like he wanted her. _I'm not even…_

All her insecurities rose up at once, rearing its ugly head in the face of Cas's undeniable handsomeness, and making her throat tighten. She knew she wasn't the prettiest girl around or the shapeliest… _no, shut your fucking face Alex. He's here with you now; don't throw this chance away just because you're fucking insecure! _

Before she could lose her nerve, she blurted, "You're really hot."

The cab started moving again, the momentum, throwing her hard against him. He caught her deftly and she buried her face in his neck because she was blushing really hard, and fisted her hands in his shirt to try to stop herself from shaking. It took her a few moments to realize that she wasn't shaking; he was, and he was laughing. It really was a beautiful sound.

She sat up, almost knocking her head against the roof of the car, and demanded, "What?!"

His blue eyes twinkled with mirth as he said, "Nothing, you just surprised me. And…"

He trailed off seductively and her lips buzzed pleasantly. "And what?"

Her libido instantly flared at the way his pupils dilated with a dangerous tint.

Sliding one hand into her hair, he brought his lips a hair's breadth away from her own and said, his voice sounding strained, "And… if you keep moving like that we're not going to make it to my apartment."

Alex couldn't contain her moan this time as he reclaimed her mouth with renewed vigor, that frenzied need accelerating through her body like a wildfire. She hadn't even realized she'd been grinding against him, her body begging him for whatever the night had promised. It was only through a lust-induced fog that she acknowledged the cab had stopped and the driver was just trying to get their attention.

She waited impatiently as Cas paid and thanked the driver before pulling her out of the cab. She shivered in the night air and let him lead her across a parking lot and into a building. She didn't recognize the complex or the surrounding area. They ran up the stairs together, giggling like mad and stealing breathless kisses in the darker corners of every landing. The fifth time Cas stopped her on a landing and swept her against the wall, she laughed against his demanding mouth and tried to push him away.

"Where the hell is your apartment?" She asked, gasping as he kissed the corner of her mouth, then her jaw, then her neck.

Cas tugged one of her legs up to wrap around his firm waist, groaning as he rocked his hips against hers carelessly. "Too far. You're driving me insane."

"Cas…" She moaned, half in pleasure, half in protest as he suckled on the skin of her neck, matching the motion of her greedy hips with his own, only rough and hard.

"Okay, okay." Cas released her leg reluctantly and pulled away to lead her up another flight of stairs.

She promised herself that if they had to go up another flight, she'd just fuck him in the stairwell. She was already too far gone as it was, the alcohol making her head swim, and she didn't know if she'd make it to the apartment either. Thankfully, he turned out of the stairwell into a brightly lit hall and stopped in front of a door. _Finally. _

She noticed his hands shaking as he fished the keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door and only then did she realize that he was just as nervous as she was. They fell through the doorway in a tangle of limbs, both reaching for each other before they even realized it. He slammed the door shut and crowded her against it, making her drown in his furious kisses. She reached for his damp shirt immediately and their hands knocked against each other in the struggle to get it off. She was just about ready to rip the damn thing off his body when he finally pulled it free over his head and threw it to the floor. Her shirt went next, his hot hands searing her skin as he unbuttoned her shorts and shoved them down. She almost fell over getting tangled in the fabric and they both laughed as he steadied her and she slowly kicked them off. Alex fumbled with his belt, nearly panting with frustration as she tried to figure out the damn thing. Cas laughed again into her hair and within seconds the belt fell to the floor along with his jeans. She finally indulged herself, running her hands over his naked chest and shivering as he cupped the back of her thighs and hoisted her up, just like before, forcing her to wrap her naked legs around those tantalizing hips. He kissed her desperately and Alex felt an odd sense of completion at the feeling of his skin against hers.

Now that she knew he wasn't the confident sex-god she'd initially tagged him for, Alex felt that she needed to get one thing across. She pulled away, gasping for breath as she said, "Cas, I don't – I don't do this a lot." By _this, _she meant going home and having sex with strangers. "Really, I don't do this ever." Her voice got smaller as she confessed. "Actually, I've never done this before."

Cas's muscles flexed as he hefted her up to disperse more of her weight against the door. The smile that spread across his face made her tremble with want.

"Me neither."

She was comforted by his answer. Wrapping her arms around his neck in relief, she leaned into him again and whispered, "Good."

Cas captured her lips and her nerves melted away in the heat he provoked in her. He loosened his grip on her so that her toes just barely brushed the floor, and he slid a knee between her legs. She let out a cry of erotic surprise when he cupped her _there_. She clutched his shoulders, unable to believe that he was actually doing that to her. He rubbed her slowly through the fabric of her underwear and she moaned, squeezing her eyes shut at the pleasure his touch ignited in her. Her body was reacting dangerously to his touch and she would have fallen if he hadn't been holding her up against the door. When his hand disappeared into her underwear she whimpered, her head falling back against the door.

"_Ah_!"

He had a finger inside her and she clenched tightly around him, pleasuring coursing through every fiber of her body as he continued to touch her.

Cas groaned, his breath hot on her face as he said, "You're so fucking _wet_. Alex…"

Alex clung to him desperately, feeling like she would somehow die if he continued and die if he didn't. She was doomed and helpless, craving the erotic sensations he stirred in her. She bucked uncontrollably against him when he rubbed his thumb _there. _Her whole body shook under his ministrations as he slid another and then another finger inside her, rough skin against the sensitized nerves, all the while, his thumb pressed insistently against that one sensitive nub. His fingers stroked deep, slowly drawing out her pleasure as torturously long as possible. _Harder! Faster! Please!_

"_Ungh….Cas!" _She cried his name, the carnal sounds falling weakly from her lips.

When she opened her eyes, she found that he was watching her with rapt attention, watching her reactions to his caresses. His pupils were impossibly large and he was breathing harshly, chest heaving. She recognized the lust in his gaze and it made her even more impossibly aroused and desperate for him. He grabbed her leg again, wrapping it around his waist and spreading her for him. He quickened his pace, thrusting his fingers in and out faster and she cried out in satisfaction.

Alex moaned loudly, unable to look away from him as his fingers brought her to the edge of that precipe. "Cas, _ngh! _I'm…I'm…"

His nostrils flared and his mouth fell open as he panted along with her moans. She clung to him, slowly losing her mind as the pleasure exploded in every part of her body. He sensed her oncoming climax and thrust his fingers deeply inside, curling them in a way that made her scream as she came. He kept his fingers buried inside her as she rode out her release. Only when the last echoes of her orgasm had faded away did he pull them out, causing her to shudder at their absence. _Holy shit. Holy fucking shit. _Alex blinked away the bright stars she could've sworn she saw at the force of her release. She slumped in his arms as he held her up, chuckling darkly as he pressed his lips to her forehead.

"That was…that was…" She was breathing too hard to continue.

He tipped her chin up for a slow, deep kiss and mumbled, "I'm glad you liked it."

"Liked it?" Alex said incredulously, lips sliding against his jaw. She enjoyed the feel of his skin under her lips. "That was fucking illegal."

He laughed and she felt it through his chest pressed up against hers. He stole touches of her tongue through their kisses and she realized just how much clothing was still separating them. Twisting her fingers in his hair, she threw caution to the wind and cupped him, feeling him long and hard through the fabric. _Well, he's definitely packing… _

Cas growled, gripping her wrist tightly in one of his hands. But instead of stopping her, he just stood still as haltingly, she explored his length with her fingers. This time it was his turn to shudder and lean his body against hers as she stroked him lightly. Alex quite liked the way he moaned into the hollow of her neck, the hand on her wrist tightening simultaneously with the hand on her hip. However, when she tried to dip her hand underneath the fabric of his underwear, he stopped her and interlaced their fingers, shaking his head and pressing her up hard against the door.

"Cas?" She wondered if she'd done something wrong; it had been a long time since she'd pleasured a man.

He raised his head to press a kiss to her ear. His voice was husky and heavy with want when he spoke.

"As much as I would like to fuck you against this door, repeatedly, my bed is a lot more comfortable."

Her body hummed at the insinuation in his voice and she nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck as he lifted her into his arms. She was unable to speak, fingers carding through the hair at the nape of his neck, as he walked them to a different room and dropped her unceremoniously onto the bed. In a different time and place maybe it would've have been different, more gentle and sweet and slow. But they had both been drinking and neither could seem to curb their lust. In a flash, her bra and underwear joined his underwear on the floor and he was spreading her legs and thrusting hard inside her, drawing a shocked breath from her lips. He didn't wait for her to adjust to his size and thrust inside again deeply, fingers digging into her hips.

"Oh, _Cas!_" She was unable to breathe, scrabbling for some kind of purchase on his back as he moved roughly inside of her.

"I know. Just hold on to me." Cas thrust into her again and this time it was him who cried out as she lifted her hips to match his movement, "Alex! _Jesus_!"

She arched her back, pressing her breasts to his chest and making him hiss at the erogenous contact. He pounded inside her hard and fast, driving her hips off the bed, all carnal pleasures compelling their actions as they lost themselves in each other. Sweat glistened on their skin as they moved furiously, desperately against each other, each coaxing lewd sounds from one another as they fell into a violent rhythm. Alex had never been in a more excruciating bliss. The things he was doing to her were unspeakable and beautiful.

She came first, fingernails carving shallow marks down his back as he continued to thrust harshly inside her. He stopped momentarily, allowing her a moment's rest, before he turned her around and slammed into her from behind. She had to keep a hand on the headboard as the force of his thrusts drove her forward, delicious screams bursting from her lips as his fingers danced wickedly in between her legs. He didn't stop even as she rode out her second orgasm on the bursts of pleasures that came with his unrelenting, jarring thrusts. When she could gather a breath, she begged him – _Don't stop, Cas! Harder, please, ah! Ah! – _and he would comply, growling lowly into her ear as he bent over her, fingers splayed against the headboard right next to hers. The third time she came, he buried himself inside her and stayed still as she writhed underneath him, crying his name again and again. Cas fell into the sheets next to her, the sweat between their bodies making him slip wetly against her, and he stroked himself as he allowed her to regain some semblance of insanity. Alex didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the thought of another round. He made the decision for her when he reached around her waist to plunge his fingers inside her. Her body responded senselessly, arching away from his body and into his demanding hand, her head craned back over his shoulder as he whispered sweet, dark things in her ear. Her hands twisted in the sheets as he pressed deep and hard, relentless in his mission to make her come undone. After she came for the fourth time, her eyes lidded with exhaustion, Alex felt as if she would never be able to move again. But Cas had other ideas as he climbed on top of her, cradling her thighs in his hands and roughly thrust into her again. She wasn't able to resist, moaning wantonly and a little embarrassed that he'd brought her to so many releases without having one of his own. So she crossed her ankles against his lower back and gave him her everything, forcing him bite into her shoulder to keep from groaning too loudly. The way she moved about him, on him, around him, made him shudder and slam into her uncontrollably – his intense attraction to her igniting a wild, barbaric urge to claim her in every way possible. This time, when she came, he followed her over the edge blindly, grinding his hips into hers desperately and moaning her name hotly against her neck. The euphoria seemed to last forever for the both of them as they clung to each other and rode wave after wave after wave of scandalous pleasure.

She didn't know how long she slept before he woke her up again, throwing the blankets away from her feverish skin to reclaim her body once more. He supported her leg in the crook of his arm, fingers playing at her breast, as he entered her from behind without ever moving from their spooning position. She started faintly, biting back her moans as she attempted to completely wake from deep sleep, but when he told her quietly that if she didn't scream for him, he'd stop, she immediately opened her mouth and released a torrent of licentious sounds that made her blush and him grunt in approval. He braced his other arm underneath her neck, lacing his fingers with hers as he brought both of them to another devastating release.

When he finally succumbed to the weariness of their couplings, she fell asleep in his warm embrace and dreamed about blue eyes and strong hips.

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**I am in love with Calex!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Goodness, I didn't even realize this chapter was that long. But I had to cut it because I know you've all been dying for an update. I haven't read over this chapter so bear with the spelling mistakes or missing words and crap. Also, I rushed through the end and I don't know how to fix it. Help.**

**Disclaimer: **Nothing's mine. Most of the dialogue is taken from the Flashpoint episode "Who's George".

**Warning: **It was sad in the episode but for some reason I can't get it to feel as sad in text form. Listen to sad music maybe? Ugh.

**R&R!**

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**Bayview Apartment Complex, Apartment #67**

**Sunday, December 1st**

**04:19**

Alex awoke with a start and then regretted it immensely when a flood of pain thundered into her head. _Fucking hangovers…_ She cursed herself and her decision to drink. As a Winchester, she could hold her liquor pretty well, but judging by the massive headache that was coming on, she'd drank way more than usual. It was only when she sat up and the cold air slapped onto her naked skin did she remember where she was.

_Oh fuck._

Cas was lying on his stomach, sleeping peacefully with his hands under his pillow. His face was just as - if not more – handsome as she remembered. The memories of what had transpired the night before made her body flood with heat and embarrassment. She couldn't believe herself. She was in a stranger's house, completely naked and she didn't even know where exactly in the city she was. _Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. What the fuck was I thinking? _She scrambled quietly out of the sheets, careful not to wake him as her bare feet touched the wooden floor. When she attempted to stand however, her legs gave out under her, thighs screaming in wonderful complaint. _Holy fucking shit, I'm really sore… Wow, I've never… _She rubbed her eyes, unable to believe just how sore she was. _Stupid, stupid, stupid Alex. Jesus… _She found her bra and underwear in the darkness and put them on silently. When her fingers touched something cold, the sound of glass chiming against a hard surface made her heart leap and she glanced at Cas to see if it had woken him. It didn't. She explored the broken shards on the floor and realized they must've knocked over something in their frenzy. The thought made her face burn. She carefully proceeded to where she thought the door was, and her cautiousness paid off when her hand came into a contact with an overturned…. _What is this? _She gave up trying to define its shape in the darkness and righted it quietly. She finally made it out of the bedroom and followed the hall slowly into the darkness of the living room, there she could see the dark lump of clothes they'd left by the door. Sighing in relief, she yanked her shorts back on, wincing as the movement made her body throb, and pulled her shirt over her head. Her mind was already racing ahead to how she would get into her apartment as she felt around on what she thought was a counter and snagged the phone of its receiver to call for a cab. When they asked for an address, she blanched and looked around the apartment despairingly. There was a pile of mail on the counter and she used the light from the phone to peer at the paper – _bills! Yes! Bayview Apartments? Jesus, that's on the other side of the highway_. She booked the taxi anyway. Closing the door as softly as she could, she made her way downstairs, cursing the flights of stairs and cursing her soreness and cursing her stupidity again and again.

On the cab ride home, Alex rested her pounding head against the cold windowpane in relief, trying to gather her wits about her. She'd been really stupid and really drunk last night and the shame of it made her throat sting. _At least he wasn't a serial killer or some other type of creep… _She was supposed to be a police officer for god's sake! Officers of the law didn't do reckless things like this. She paid the cab driver with the bills that were thankfully still in her pocket and dragged her sorry ass up the stairs to her own apartment. _Jesus fucking Christ, I am so sore I'm going to die…_ She tried not to think about why exactly she was so sore.

Once she got to her apartment door, she was at a loss. She'd left her keys, her cellphone, even her fucking badge with Sam. _Oh fuck, I am so screwed. _Sam and Dean were probably freaking out by now, and who knew what they had done in their worry. She just hoped they hadn't gone all cop-mode; she'd die of embarrassment if they were scouring the city for her in squad cars.

_How the fuck do I get into my apartment? _It was cold and the sky was just beginning to brighten. She stuck her hands into her pockets for warmth and her fingers encountered a dozen sharp objects. Confused and irritated, Alex pulled her hand out and found that she'd left her bobby pins in her pocket instead of leaving them at the station like she usually did. _Thank god._ She knelt and inserted a bobby pin into the lock, feeling a little unsure and laughing at herself. _I'm breaking into my own apartment. _She jimmied the bobby pin in the lock, but nothing happened. _C'mon, c'mon, work, please work. _At the thought of work, Alex could've banged her head against the door. She was hungover, sore as hell, and she had work tonight.

"Alex?"

Alex started guiltily at the familiar voice, standing up slowly and turning around to face her older brother. Sam Winchester wore a nondescript white t-shirt and jogging pants and she mentally smacked herself in the face – _of course, _Sam would be up early for his routine morning run. He enveloped her in a fierce hug and she hugged him back, trying to school her features so she looked less guilty. He pulled away and she felt her face burn in embarrassment as his eyes flickered to the bobby pin in her hand and quickly scanned her rumpled clothes.

"Where've you been?" His eyebrows furrowed and knew he'd been frantically worried. "I called you but you left everything in my jacket and my car. Dean's been going crazy. We thought you got kidnapped or something."

"I'm fine, Sam." She dropped her eyes sheepishly, kneading her head as her headache aggravated her skull. She'd been careless and foolish. "I'm sorry. I forgot to grab my stuff."

"Are you hungover?" He raised a skeptical eyebrow.

She suddenly became irritated at his spot-on questions. "No, I just wasn't feeling well. I stayed over at a friend's."

"Did you at least use protection?"

The question caused her to freeze and her heart to stop. _Oh my…Oh shit. _She shot Sam a weak smile and smacked him on the arm hard.

"Sam!" She tried to use her panic to make it look like she was exasperated, words rushing out of her mouth. "Shut up, okay. I crashed at a _girl_friend's house! I was just, you know, shaken up from the bombing."

It was a cheap trick, but it worked and Sam's expression softened. "Oh, I'm sorry, Alex, I didn't…here."

The embarrassment flooded through her again as Sam handed her phone, wallet, keys, gun, and badge back to her with two hands. She took her property from him, surprised that he'd had all of it with him. He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled, "I thought maybe I'd detour downtown, just in case…you know…"

She suddenly felt immensely guilty that she'd left her brothers to worry so much. They were all cops; they had a reason to worry when one of them disappeared. And the fact that her brother had been willing to search for her downtown so early in the morning made her ashamed.

"Sorry." She muttered, surging forward to hug him hard again. She was trembling, her mind already whirling at the realization that she hadn't used protection. "Thanks."

Sam ruffled her hair and she wanted to cry and hide from him at the same time. She pushed him towards the stairs, telling him that she was tired and he left with a concerned look on his face. Alex unlocked the door to her apartment and sat down on her sofa to stare at the wall. She felt like she couldn't breathe. _Oh my god…I can't…I'm so fucking stupid…What am I…_? She couldn't call Dean, he'd kill her and Sam wasn't an option either, she couldn't even consider her Dad or Bobby…

Alex called Jo.

She spilled her guts over the phone – not the best choice, really – but she was freaking out and pacing and willing herself not to cry. Jo, bless her, was calm and asked her methodical questions: How long ago did this happen? How many times did it happen? How do you feel? And then she said –

"Don't worry, Al. Seriously, calm down. I've got some plan B you can take, I'll be over in like ten minutes."

And then she hung up. Alex stood dumbly in the middle of her living room looking at her phone. _Plan B? _She seemed to remember the commercials on TV that had described her situation exactly. And then she sank into the sofa and laughed in relief. _Oh thank Jesus Christ. Thank fucking god. _Jo arrived in record time and Alex was glad because she felt like she was going out of her mind with worry. They sat on her sofa together and Jo watched as Alex swallowed the pill and drank a glass of water.

Her hand was still trembling as she set the glass down. "Jo, you are and always have been my best friend. You just saved my goddamn life."

Jo laughed and batted Alex's hands away when out of sheer relief, she tried to squeeze her friend's hands. "You're being overdramatic, Al. It's not a big deal. I've been there before, trust me, you're going to be okay. The pill works."

Alex buried her face in her hands and moaned, "I've never felt so stupid in my life."

"It's a good lesson, huh?" Jo chuckled, hugging one of the couch pillows to her chest. "Thank god for science."

"Yes, thank god." She ran a hand through her hair and realized that she still hadn't showered or changed or anything. "Yech, I really need to clean up. Do you mind?"

"Yeah, I noticed those are clothes from yesterday." Jo's eyes twinkled with mischief. "And since you just begged me for plan B, I'd say you had the time of your life last night. Tell me about it when you get out of the shower."

Alex grimaced. This disaster had occurred all because of last night and although she liked thinking about it, she also didn't like thinking about it. It was an inner conflict that was driving her insane. She swung her legs over the couch and couldn't hide her grumbles of pain as she headed towards her bathroom with jerky movements.

"Oh my god, you're doing the walk of shame!" Jo called after her, laughing hysterically. "Alex!"

"Shut up!"

Her face burning, Alex took a long, hot shower, washing away the remaining traces of her night with Cas. She leaned heavily against the tiled wall, his name bringing back so many pleasurable memories from the night before that she felt guilty for washing away his touch, his scent from her body. But her clothes still smelled like Cas – a musky, sweaty scent that hinted of white smoke, rubber, and honey. It made her head swim headily.

When she walked back out smelling like her favorite green apple shampoo and clean laundry, Alex was feeling a lot more calm and collected. The wonders a hot shower could do. Jo was stretched out on her couch, holding her phone above her face and texting. She looked up when her friend entered and a big smile stretched across her face.

"Look at you, walk of _shame._" Jo taunted her and Alex smacked her with a pillow as she sat down on the arm of the sofa to give her trembling legs a rest. _Damn. _She didn't want to admit how good the soreness felt. "So tell me, who was he? What was it like?"

"Jo!"

"I'm serious! I helped you not get pregnant! Tell me all the hot, delicious details."

Alex sunk down into the space on the sofa that Jo's legs had just vacated as her friend sat up to attention. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest, resting her chin on the soft fabric. Her cheeks burned as she thought about all the things she could say.

"His name is Cas." She confessed, thinking about the way he'd whispered it into her ear.

"And?" Jo scooted closer. "How old was he? Tall? Short? Fat? Bodybuilder? Black? White? Asian? What's he do for a living? Where does he live? Did you get his number?"

Alex laughed at the onslaught of questions. "Well Officer Harvelle, he's a Caucasian male, about six feet tall, dark hair, gorgeous blue eyes, with dangerous hips and lips. We…uh, we didn't talk much. He lives in the Bayview Apartment Complex. Classy, right?" The last one made her somber again. "I didn't get his number. I kind of booked it out of there."

"Alex!" Jo complained, shaking her head in disappointment. "Was he at least a good fuck?"

She blushed furiously and replied in a small voice. "The best."

"Sounds like you guys went at it." Her friend smacked her on the leg. "Six times? No wonder you can't even walk."

Alex spluttered, "Well, I mean it was sort of six times? Like he, you know…" She gestured helplessly with her hands. "He was…it was…Jo, I have bruises and hickies in places I can't even reach, I'm pretty sure we broke a few things, and I can't walk."

Jo didn't stop laughing until she was wiping tears from her eyes.

* * *

**City of Arcadia, Squad Car A781**

**Tuesday, December 24**

**23:17**

It had been twenty-three days since Alex had first set eyes on Cas. Twenty-three days in which she struggled to forget that night and get back to her normal life. Twenty-three days in which she fought the urge to drive by his place while she was on patrol. Twenty-three days in which she had to restrain herself from searching the database for him or his phone number. If he wasn't going to make an effort, then she wasn't either.

Everyone on patrol was still hyper vigilant since the bombing incident with Duane Tanner and Alex allowed work to consume her life. She slept through most of the day after working night shifts and the second half of the week, she caught up on her reports and spent most of her time in the training center.

Not for the first time, Alex wondered what Cas was doing now. She couldn't believe she was working on Christmas Eve. Only the fact that Dean and Jo were also working, cruising around the city, comforted her. Sam had taken the week off, taking his girlfriend, Jessica, up to a ski resort for some good-old fashioned winter festivities. She envied him.

_Just seven more days until you're out!_ December 31st would be her last day in the FTO program. She was excited to start the new year on her own and Jo had promised the best party ever on New Year's Eve.

The computer chimed, "New call."

Corporal Daniel Elkins, her new FTO that had replaced Caleb, turned the MDT on its hinges towards the passenger seat and studied the new information. She supposed she should've been grateful that he'd agreed to switch from the D-1 and oversee the rest of her training, but Daniel was even more silent and stoic than Caleb had been. She caught a glimpse of the big, red, block letters 415 – PARTY before dispatch crackled to life.

"24-Paul to cover 25-King. 336 Rising Avenues Apartment #6. RP called from the next unit over saying ten to twelve subjects inside the residence were underage and HBD. About five minutes ago, RP stated she heard something or someone being slammed against the wall."

Alex recognized Dispatcher Pamela Barnes and smiled to herself, surprised. _Guess she came back early from vacation. _Pamela had been gone for the last three weeks at some retreat up in Humboldt. Pamela was a close friend of Dean's and Alex liked her.

Alex mapped the location, tapping the enroute button onscreen as she accelerated.

"Looks like it's going to be one of those nights." Daniel sighed.

They jumped from party call to party call to traffic stop to party call. It seemed everyone was at someone's Christmas Eve party. Most of them turned out to just be large families jovially drinking and not actually causing any trouble; they did bag a couple of arrests (they had pushed seventy trying to get to Steve when his pedestrian stop on three subjects turned physical) and shut down three or four parties in which the people involved had been underage. Alex kept an eye out at the more rowdy parties, half-wishing that maybe she'd catch a glimpse of Cas and half-hoping she wouldn't because she didn't want him to see her in uniform. What was she thinking? He'd probably forgotten all about her and was celebrating the holiday with someone else. The thought made her heart squeeze. _Goddamit Alex, stop thinking about him. _

The night spun into a frenzy as calls poured in faster than officers could clear them. She should've known that Christmas Eve would be a busy one. And when it came around for bar closing downtown, the officers who weren't responding to bar brawls were paying more attention to the shouts and clamor over the radio than their own subjects. Being a unit on the outskirts of downtown, Alex and Daniel tried to relieve some of the stress on the downtown units like Jo, Dean, Jimmy Anderson (who, after 2 weeks IOD, had returned as 22-Paul), and Leanne Braddock, the new 22-Edward.

After bar closing, the city quieted down considerably and the ruckus died down to the point where most units were just doing circles down the Beach Boulevard. After circling one of the dirtier neighborhoods three times, squinting her eyes to peer into the darkness for any slumped figures that had fallen trying to walk home drunk, Alex turned into an empty business lot and pulled up alongside Jo. Anderson was already parked on the other side of them so that they could talk through their windows. Leanne joined them a moment later, getting out of her car to squeeze into the space between Jo's car and Anderson's.

They complained about having to work on Christmas Eve.

"My brother's down in LA right now having the time of his life." Anderson grumbled, the phone in his hand illuminating his face.

"My entire family's up at Lake Tahoe." Leanne countered. "I even tried to get the week off, but you know how it is."

"Sucks."

"Tell me about it."

"I wanna go to Lake Tahoe."

"Do you guys get a real Christmas tree or a fake one?" Jo asked.

Dean, Alex, Daniel, and Leanne all said, "Fake," while Anderson grinned and said, "Real."

They argued about the pros and cons of having a real tree, in which Anderson made fun of Dean and Daniel for not being "man" enough to cut down their own tree. Alex pointed out that having a real tree was a pain in the ass with the pine needles and sap to clean up and Leanne enthusiastically agreed. They traded banter about manliness and the holidays, killing time as the radio stayed dead silent. Alex liked this atmosphere a lot, having the time to talk amicably with her partners and relax. It wasn't like there was anything going on at three in the morning. Eventually, Leanne departed from the group after being dispatched to cover Steve on yet another traffic stop – the guy had a knack for sniffing out deuce.

When the clock approached 0400, Dean whooped, "EOS!" and they all roused themselves into alertness. Jo peeled out of the parking lot first, faking out Anderson who was trying to get in front and Alex fell in behind as all three squad cars turned out of the parking lot and headed for the station. She was looking forward to a hot shower and a good night's sleep before having to deal with the family disaster that always came during Christmas. _Oh. Well, guess it's already Christmas. _Anderson passed Jo easily and slowed down so that both Jo and Alex both had to press the brakes repeatedly; protocols forbid them to race but that didn't mean they couldn't enjoy themselves.

"New message."

Alex immediately tapped the screen to see a message from 23-Paul. _Guess we shouldn't have let grandpa take the lead… :)_

She laughed out loud and ignoring the hard look her FTO gave her, took the wheel between her knees and typed out a quick reply. _Give him a break, he's been rolling in a HoverRound lately lol._

The computer dinged a moment later with Dean's reply. _I knew I should've given him the brochure when I had the chance._

Jo switched lanes and accelerated into the turn lane as the light turned green, leaving Anderson to reaccelerate from his stop at the red light. As all three squad cars pulled up to the station gate, with Jo and Dean in the lead and Anderson flipping them off outside his window, Alex found that she'd enjoyed herself despite the fact that she'd worked Christmas Eve.

And she hadn't thought about Cas for a whole hour.

* * *

**City of Arcadia, Walpster Street**

**Tuesday, December 31th**

**09:15**

It was a surprisingly pleasant day to be out and about in the winter season. People were walking out on the streets, sun shining down on their smooth shoulders and glancing off the brims of hats that the sensible ones thought to wear. The ocean along the coast shimmered in reflection of the golden heat and provided an endless fascination for the children laughing and running along the beach that hugged the west of Arcadia. And it was okay for the sun to be blazing so directly because the winter gusts provided a welcome relief from the sizzling heat. Christmas lights and decorations still twinkled through downtown, lending a nostalgic tone of joy on the streets. Christmas had been the usual clusterfuck – with so many hardheaded and strong-willed Winchesters in the same room, it was bound to be. Family dinners and present exchanges just didn't go with the Winchester theme. Afterwards, she sneaked out with Dean and Sam to join the rest of their friends at Ellen's midnight potluck at the Roadhouse with the rest of APD. That had been a good night.

Alex was breathing in the fresh air coming through her car window (yes, her baby was out of the repair shop) and feeling like a new person because tomorrow, she would officially be on her own – though on probation – she would be riding alone in her squad car and calling all the shots and not having to worry about a supervisor breathing down her neck every second of every shift. It really was a great sensation – independence.

She parked in front of the CCB Community Bank, thinking she'd save some gas and order those checks she'd been needing for a while now before she went into work for those reports left over from last night. Since she had her badge clipped to her belt, she left her service weapon and cell phone in the car, intending to only be ten minutes max. Alex shoved her keys into her jacket pocket and entered the building, a little dismayed to see there was an adequate line. The elderly lady in front of her turned around upon her entrance and Alex flashed a polite smile. She busied herself by looking around the interior of the bank, regretting the decision to leave her phone in the car. _Not the most tactical interior. _She noted the painted glass windows that stretched along the windows behind the oak windows, filtering light and sounds from the main street outside. _Too much open space. _

A tidy, young woman came through one of the side doors, eyes trained on the sleek phone in her hand, a briefcase in the other hand. She screamed businesswoman and Alex momentarily admired how great she looked in a simple, feminine suit. _Nice. _

"There was an error code with the door this morning. Put a call into security for me would you, Martin?" The businesswoman said to one of the clerks fleetingly as she made her way across the lobby.

Alex guessed she must've been the manager judging by the way the tellers and clerks straightened their shoulders and immediately ceased their side conversations in her presence. The woman disappeared into a door on the other side of the room and Alex tried to find something else interesting to look at it. It seemed to her as if the line wasn't moving at all. When the possible-manager-lady re-entered the room, Alex paid her no attention.

That is until someone screamed.

* * *

**Arcadia Police Department, Training Center**

**09:31**

When the alarms blared through the halls of the Training Center, Dean congratulated himself for making the last minute decision to spend his lunch hour working out. Now he didn't need to gather his shit and waste time driving to the station. He dropped the boxing gloves and threw open the locker room door as the other members of Arcadia SWAT began to grab their equipment.

"Team One, gear up. Hot call. Armed robbery in progress. CCB on Walpster. Multiple hostages. Single suspect, armed."

Someone whooped and Dean smiled to himself. He was just about to call Sam when his younger brother walked through the door. It looked like all of Team One had decided to spend their lunch hour at the Center. He clapped his Sam the shoulder as he walked past, strapping on his bulletproof vest.

"Sammy boy! Just in time, man."

His brother started yanking his equipment off the shelf and the sounds of gearing up joined the conversation.

"I wouldn't want to miss all the fun." Sam grinned.

John Winchester, covered head to toe in tactical gear, banged on the open door and yelled, "Let's go boys! Our city needs us!"

Dean fitted his earpiece to his ear and crowded out with the rest of Team One, each officer carrying their assigned weapons as Moishe and Gwen Campbell loaded the heavier equipment into the Bearcat. As the vehicle roared to life and John threw it into drive, Dean and his team members swayed with the movement. Dispatch and officers were sounding off over the radio and he felt the familiar spike of adrenaline that surfaced at the prospect of some heavy action.

"Team One, enroute. ETA 7 minutes."

* * *

**Arcadia Fire Department, House 81**

**09:33**

Castiel was lying on his bed in the station, staring up at the ceiling and thinking errantly about soft brown hair bunched in his fingers and holding her body right up against his so that he could feel every curve in her goddamn beautiful body and – _Stop. Stop right there. _

The familiar feelings of hurt, anger, and guilt crept up on him again and he groaned, frustrated with himself and the woman that had been haunting his thoughts for the past few weeks. It was driving him crazy, but his pride and Balthazar's advice – yes, of course he'd told his best friend about the most mind-blowing night of his life – kept him from doing anything about it. She hadn't even left a phone number.

"Please tell me you aren't thinking about that Alex girl."

Balthazar leaned over the fiberglass top of the wall that separated his bunk from his best friend's. Castiel sat up hurriedly, rubbing the guilty flush that heated the back of his neck.

A denial that he wasn't doing any such thing was at the front of his lips when he saw the look on Balthazar's face; so he mumbled, "How did you know?"

The other firefighter gave a half-laugh, half-snort. "Please, as if you've thought of anything else since then. I've been where you are, Cas, and trust me, you need to get over her. Twenty bucks says she forgot about you the moment she left your apartment. Those kinds of women aren't worth it, man. What happened to that busty blonde I hooked you up with last night?"

He frowned; the idea that he'd been used and left behind by a gorgeous woman didn't sound acceptable at all. He liked to think he'd at least made a lasting impression on her that night. He knew she had. She knew where he lived, and yet, she hadn't contacted him or anything and he hadn't seen her since. The ball was in her court and it was killing him. And there was his pride issue again.

"It wasn't the same." Castiel shook his head and slid of his bunk, groaning as he reached down to tug on his boots.

He was too embarrassed to tell his friend-basically-brother that he hadn't even been able to get off with Tania, whom the randier firefighters referred to as the-blonde-with-amazing-tits-that-gave-the-best-blowjobs-in-town. He hated himself for being stuck on one girl. He'd thought maybe –

The familiar, singular alarm that sounded throughout the fire station cut off his thought.

The two firefighters fell into routine movements as dispatch sounded through the speakers.

"Truck 89, Engine 31, Squad 3, Ambulance 61, Battalion 25. Active bomb threat. CCB on Walpster. Police, SWAT, and Bomb Squad already on scene with hostage situation."

Castiel and Balthazar paused and looked at each other, the seriousness of the situation setting in. It wasn't every day that Arcadia got an active bomb threat, and it was even rarer to hear of hostages in the bank. But it couldn't be a coincidence that there was another alert so close to the Tanner call. He got into Truck 89 with the rest of his squad, the very heavy weight of his suit pressing down on his shoulders as the apparatus roared to life and Uriel pulled out of the station, Engine 31, Rescue Engine 48, and Ambulance 61 right on their tail. No one was joking this time.

* * *

**City of Arcadia, CCB Community Bank (Walpster St.)**

**09:39**

Her heart was hammering painfully in her chest as she crouched with the other patrons of the bank against the far wall lined with counters. She had to admit, this position kept all the hostages out of the line of vision from the floor-to-ceiling windows behind the counter. All their cell-phones, handbags, etc. were in a pile in the middle of the floor where they'd been ordered to give them up. She stuffed her badge into the side of her boot; identifying herself as an officer of the law didn't seem to be the best choice right now. The man that had entered the bank with a gun to the lady's – she declared herself as the manager – head was wearing the usual black ski mask and waving a handgun around threateningly. Sniffles and whimpers echoed across the tiled floor and Alex rubbed her temples in agitation. Learning about bank robberies in progress was one thing, being in the middle of one without a gun was another. She was cursing herself for leaving her gun in the car; why did she always get into these situations?

She knew the beat cops had arrived when the sirens screamed and tires screeched outside. She could just imagine the set-up that sprawled through the street in front of the bank. There would be snipers on every tactically advantageous roof and Team One would be responding. She was dreading the moment when her father and both her brothers would crash through the front door with assault rifles. What would they say? Would she get in trouble for not having her service weapon? The suspect hadn't asked for the tellers' money which probably meant he was going for the bank's safe vault.

"Keep your hands up!"

Some of the people flinched and a cry or two sounded pitifully.

Alex sighed quietly in relief when one of the cable phones rang, echoing frighteningly in the cavernous space of the bank. Her family was on scene.

Everyone held their breath as the man picked up the phone.

"This is the guy you're going to get a half a million in unmarked fifties for and by noon."

Pause.

"Look I don't know who you think you're dealing with, but I'm not some junkie who's looking for his day's fix, okay? You and I both know that once that alarm went off, that vault went into hard lock. The only thing that can open it now is manual override." The man started pacing agitatedly and Alex kept an eye on the gun he was waving around erratically.

"You know that. You are going to get me my money! _So_. You are going to get my money, you're going to get me a car – an open car, which you'll park at the northeast corner of Clemont Lane, and you're going to sit back and watch as me and my hostage drive right off, is all that clear?!"

She tensed as he approached the row of cowering people.

"You're going to do this by noon and if you don't, here's what's gonna to happen." The man thrust the phone in the face of the manager, who flinched. "Here, tell him."

She took the phone with shaky fingers and everyone gasped as he pointed the gun at her head. Alex, who was sitting two people down from the manager, watched with baited breath.

"This is Sarah Blake, I'm the manager at the bank. P-please do exactly as this man says…" Sarah swallowed loudly, hands trembling, "Or he'll kill us all."

"That's very good." The man tore the phone out of her hands and ended the call. "Nice job."

**City of Arcadia, APD Mobile Command Post**

**09:46**

Back in Arcadia's mobile Command Post, Sergeant Lee Chambers was looking dismally at the phone in his hand.

He turned to the officer next to him and said, "Where's the lieutenant?"

"She's enroute now, sir, from an 11-80 in Humboldt."

"Get her on the line."

**City of Arcadia, CCB Community Bank (Walpster St.)**

**09:57**

The bank was filled with a stifling silence of fear cold enough to be palpable on her skin. Her nerves were humming with adrenaline, but she didn't have the tactical advantage, not with this many hostages in the room. She was praying that her brothers would be on scene and they'd most likely see her car in the parking lot. The good thing was that they would know she was in there and in a position to help. The bad thing was that they would be worried sick about her and she hated that she'd been caught in this situation – the one needing to be rescued as always. She grimaced at the thought – she'd become a police officer to save others, not become a victim herself.

The clerks were whispering amongst themselves and a few women were crying. Sarah suddenly stood, drawing everybody's attention to her prone form. Alex was just about to hiss at her and tell her to sit down because provoking a man with a gun wasn't the best idea, but he'd already spotted her.

"Excuse me."

The man straightened from leaning against the counter as the manager stepped forward hesitantly. Alex felt her own heart leap to her throat as she recognized the signs of aggravation in the man's movements. She had to do something, but what could she do? She was unarmed, unprepared, and without backup.

"What do you want?"

"People need to go the bathroom."

Alex could've smacked the woman herself. He was clearly not in the mood to compromise given his tone of voice when he'd talked to the negotiator; the woman was just putting herself in more danger!

"So?"

"S-so I assume you don't want these people dirtying themselves?"

The man tilted his head. "And why the hell would I care?'

"B-because it's just going to make them more afraid, more on edge." Sarah's voice wavered. "I'm just trying to make these easier for-"

Nearly everyone cried out as he cut her off with a gun to her head. "Why don't I make things easier for you? Sit down and shut up!"

Alex tensed as Sarah hesitated just a moment longer before sinking back down against the counter.

It was maybe another ten minutes before the next phone call came in.

"Who the hell is this? Where's that sergeant I was talking to?" A long pause. "Well, Lieutenant Harvelle, you better be calling to tell me you have my money."

Alex's hope surged as she recognized that Ellen Harvelle was negotiating on the other end of the line. There was no one better in the entire department than Ellen, who could talk anybody's language – she was their best negotiator.

"Yeah, this is where I'm supposed to start turning over my hostages like guests. That's _not_ going to happen."

There was a long pause in which the man paced and then slowed. Ellen had said something that intrigued him. Alex could almost hear Ellen working her magic on the other end.

**City of Arcadia, APD Mobile Command Post**

**10:09**

Lieutenant Ellen Harvelle had probably broken a dozen traffic codes to get to the bank in the time she did, but she was too worked up to care. The bastard had hostages in a bank and Sam Winchester had just identified his sister's car in the parking lot. Alex Winchester was somewhere in that bank and that made the whole situation more strained. Dean was at the end of his wit's just waiting outside, and Ellen knew she had to speed things along.

She glanced at Sergeant Chambers who nodded to let her know the tactical strike team was in place. The MO of the bank robbery fit that of the Monday Morning Bandit and she was nearly up to her eyeballs with the expectations that they would finally catch this monster. John Winchester better have come up with an adequate plan.

"It's nice dealing with a professional. Six banks, six getaways, that's something. That's planning." Ellen said reasonably. "Is that why you've always worked alone, it's easier to plan?"

The man replied quickly, "Easier to plan, yeah, that's right."

She needed to know if there was more than one suspect in the vicinity so she asked, "And you're alone now too right? Part of the plan?"

There was too long of a silence and she immediately knew two things. He was alone and the concept of his isolation disturbed him. She knew she'd struck a nerve.

"Hey, it's like I tell my guys: plan to fail, you fail to plan, am I right?"

"Something like that."

"And I respect that, but how long can you keep doing this?" Ellen waited and when he didn't answer she continued. "I'm just saying, you know how this usually ends right? Don't we all want to go home?"

That got a reaction out of him. "How the hell am I supposed to do that? What does that even mean?! How am I supposed to do that?!"

Thoughts were spinning through her head at his sudden reaction. "Is it the last job you're worried about? Shooting the tellers, what was it….fourteen, fifteen times? That says to me that something went very wrong, something you didn't want to do, right?" He didn't seem like the calm, collected criminal that the cases described. Something wasn't right.

"Yeah, that's right." His voice sounded tinny over the comm. "That's not what I wanted."

Ellen exchanged looks with Lee Chambers. "Yeah, doesn't sound like you. "

"It is me." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than he was her. Ellen knew then that something was definitely off. She grabbed the pad of paper and scribbled furiously with a pen from her pocket as the man continued. "Alright? That's me…when I don't get what I want. And I advise you to remember that. Just remember." He hung up.

Ellen looked hard at her notes. "Expresses remorse about the shooting?"

"Yeah…" Lee was thinking along the same lines as his lieutenant.

"Yeah, not the typical anti-social profile." She ripped a page from her notes and handed it to Lee. "Check this with the hold-up squad. Get Captain Winchester in here."

**City of Arcadia, Walpster Street**

**10:10**

Sam was trying his hardest to stand still as Sergeant Gwen Campbell loaded up her sniper rifle. They were sending her up to one of the roofs as procedure to be used as a last resort. He was her backup this time, while Lieutenant Eliot Ness and his strike team were down in the old subway tunnels creating an entrance into the bank. He could barely concentrate on what was happening around him, all he could think about was that Alex was in there. _Alex is in danger. _It went against every brotherly instinct not to rush in there, guns blazing and he knew Dean felt it too. But John had placed them both as far from the strike team – Sam on sniper watch and Dean on suspect research – as possible to minimize personal involvement. It was just too risky and Sam understood that, but it didn't mean he had to like it.

Officer Moishe Campbell, one of Sam's cousins (there really were too many of his relatives in the department), adjusted his riot helmet and asked, "Why don't we just give him what he wants? Put a tracker on the getaway car and bust him when he's trying to leave the city?"

"Can't." Gwen immediately responded. "At this time of day – noon – right in the middle of the city? Too many people and too many variables. He'd get away in two minutes."

"So then, what's the plan?"

"Lieutenant Ness is taking a three-man strike team to enter from the old subway tunnels." The female sniper said without looking up from her preparations. "And Lieutenant Harvelle's the best negotiator in the state. They'll be all right."

Sam knew that last part had been directed at him. _Alex'll be alright. _He just had to trust his partners to get her out of there alive and safe.

**City of Arcadia, APD Mobile Command Post**

**10:11**

John Winchester sat in the mobile Command Post with Ellen Harvelle, watching as she wrote with a dry erase marker on the little board she'd set up.

Lieutenant Ness's voice crackled to life over the radio. "32-Lincoln, we're in the tunnel under the subway. 16-Paul, distraction on my go."

Ellen spoke into the radio. "16-Paul, where are we?"

"16-Paul, good to go. 31?"

"31-Lincoln. Checking wall thickness."

Ellen picked up the phone and nodded to John Winchester as she called the bank phone again.

"I told you noon."

Ellen sighed inwardly. "We're still working on everything, I just wanted to warn you about something. The manual alarm, when it was tripped, it automatically reset. So in about a minute, it's going to go off again and I just need you to stay calm when that happens, okay? That's all I wanted to say." This time, she hung up first.

"Ready, 16-Paul?"

"Ready when you are, sir."

Lieutenant Ness responded. "On my count."

Ellen Harvelle and John Winchester held their breath as he began to count down over the radio.

"5…4…3…2…"

**City of Arcadia, CCB Community Bank (Walspter St.)**

**10:17**

Alex had just watched the man end the phone call and by the way he looked at the phone, she judged that Ellen had called to tell him something. Something important, probably to distract him from whatever the strike team was doing to enter the building. She braced herself.

A shrill sounding alarm went off and she immediately clapped her hands over her ears. People screamed and cowered, expecting some kind of immediate death at the surprising noise. The man yelled at them to shut up and Alex guessed he knew the alarm had been about to go off. _What is Ellen planning…? _

**City of Arcadia, APD Mobile Command Post**

**10:18**

"31-Lincoln. We're in. Basement side."

Ellen smiled. "Thanks, will do."

John sighed in relief, allowing some of the tension in his shoulders to roll out of his system. "Nice catch."

"Littler fish." She said quietly, turning back to her whiteboard. "Team, listen up. Subject is not who we thought. Monday Morning Bandit's murders were execution style, two bullets. The story the press got was a bloodbath, multiple shots fired. The subject did not contradict the press version, it's all he knew, so…" She wrote COPYCAT? in big letters. "We have no idea who this guy is."

There was a short silence on the radio until Lieutenant Ness responded.

"31-Lincoln, we're moving up."

**City of Arcadia, CCB Community Bank (Walpster St.)**

**10:20**

One of the two people in between Alex and Sarah was a younger woman, one of the bank clerks, and she was not in good shape. She was taking short, stuttered breath and seemed considerably pale. The manager was rubbing her back and speaking to her in soothing undertones but Alex could tell that something was wrong.

"Excuse me!" The manager started to stand again.

Alex had to admit that the woman had guts.

"What?!"

But her guts were provoking the suspect and pretty soon he was going to respond to her outbursts with a bullet to the head. She just didn't know what to do without getting herself killed in the process.

"This woman has asthma! She needs her medication!" The manager pulled the other women up standing next to her and Alex immediately sprung up in a protective stance next to the gasping woman.

"So what?!" He pointed his gun at Sarah.

Alex immediately drew the asthmatic women behind her, shielding her from the suspect. They really did need to get this woman's inhaler or they would have a medical emergency on their hands. She exchanged glances with Sarah. She shook her head at her, but Sarah continued.

"I'm just trying to do my part to keep these people calm! Can't you do yours?!"

Alex immediately grabbed the woman's arm, "Ms. Blake don't – "

The suspect rushed up to them, pointing his gun threateningly in Sarah's face and Alex shied away from him, shuffling back into a defensive position.

"You want to tell me how to do my job, is that what you want to do?!"

"No, I – "

He suddenly grabbed her by the neck and held the gun to her head. The hostages in the bank gasped in unison and most were standing, holding their hands out like they wanted to help in some sort of way. Alex drew the asthmatic woman further away from Sarah who was struggling with the suspect – her heart was racing, her blood running cold with fear.

"Yeah, you do that! Tell me how to do my job!" He dragged her backwards, digging the barrel of his gun into her head. "You sit down! Sit down, sit down! Sit down, you!"

He pointed the gun at the ceiling and fired. Everyone immediately dropped in terror and Alex covered her head on instinct.

A loud sound reached her ears and then, "Police! Police!"

She saw the flash bang before it went off and covered her ears, shutting her eyes tightly as the exploded inside the cavernous room.

Chaos erupted.

People were screaming and running and Alex was trying to where the suspect had went but men in tactical gear were swarming the room and there was too much smoke and she was coughing and people were bumping into her in their rush to get out.

"Move! Move! Get out! Get out! Move!"

Alex stumbled as she saw the man disappear around the corner of an open door and followed him instinctively. "Wait!"

Sarah suddenly escaped from his grasp and ran towards Alex, but a shot rang out and she dropped to the floor. Alex, with her heart in her throat, rushed forward, falling to her knees next to the woman.

"You, get away from her!" The man also rushed towards the body and Alex fought off his hands, turning Sarah over and trying to find the source of the blood to put pressure on it.

"Stop! She's losing a lot of blood, let me help. I'm a doctor!" Alex lied. "You want her alive right? Let me help!"

Her hands were slippery with blood and she pressed down hard on the bullet wound in Sarah's leg.

"Right there. Stop, right there."

Boots pounded on ceramic tile and Alex whipped her head around to see Lieutenant Ness standing at the end of the hallway, an assault rifle pointed at them. Suddenly an arm was hooked around her neck and she froze as she felt the cool metal of a gun barrel at her head. _Oh shit. _

"Set the gun down. Set the gun down, now."

"You put your gun down!" The man tightened his grip on her, and she could feel him shaking in anger.

Her heart was in her throat and she couldn't breathe. She tried to regain control of herself. _Don't panic, don't panic! _Lieutenant Ness was concentrating soley on the suspect, two more men in tactical gear arriving behind him.

"Set the gun down, we're not going anywhere." Eliot commanded.

"I'm telling you! Get out of here!" He yelled.

"Sir, put the gun down now."

"Get out or I kill her."

She looked at Sarah, who was groaning on the floor, clutching at her wounded leg.

Eliot said calmly, "We're not leaving."

"Well then she dies." The man was almost choking her in his anger and desperation. "Three..and in two…"

Alex didn't know what to say. She wanted to scream and tell them to shoot him but with the range they were at, their accuracy couldn't be any better than 90%. They said that your life flashes in front of your eyes in the moment before impending death, but Alex just saw Lieutenant Eliot Ness and his partners and the detached look in his eyes. She couldn't breathe and she felt like all her functions were failing. Everything was cold and hot all at once and her head was pounding.

"…And in one…!"

She didn't look away from the lieutenant and she didn't close her eyes. If this was how she was going to die, she was going to do it without showing fear, no matter how much of it was roaring through her body. _I wish I'd stayed with Cas._

There was a heartbeat of a moment when she swore she could feel the man's muscles tensing as he pulled the trigger, but then the lieutenant spoke.

"Team One, we're coming out. Subject still with two hostages, one injured."

Lieutenant Eliot Ness followed his men, walking backwards out of the doorway, his gun still trained on the suspect, and disappeared.

**City of Arcadia, APD Mobile Command Post**

**10:26**

Ellen watched as Moishe worked with the computer. The screen was a solid blue with the words ACQUIRING FEED printed in white block letters across it. Then it cut to images of the bank's interior.

"I was able to reconnect the video, but there's no audio." Moishe clicked through the different video feeds stationed around the bank. One more click and the screen showed the suspect with Alex kneeling by the injured manager in a hallway. The suspect turned around, and the officers could see his ski mask was gone.

Ellen pointed. "Freeze it there." The suspect in the video pointed the gun directly at them and the screen cut to black fuzz. "Get the security guy."

John went on the radio. "Can we get the security guard in here, please?"

"Look at them. She's just looking at him." Ellen touched her finger to Sarah's figure lying prone on the floor, Alex propping her up. "It's like they know each other."

The door opened and the security guard they'd questioned earlier stepped into the command post. John waved him over to where they were hovering over the screen.

"Hey buddy, this guy ring any bells?" Ellen watched the security guard's facial expression morph into one of disbelief.

"Yeah." The security guard nodded slowly, mouth gaping. "That's George!"

"Who's George?" John asked impatiently.

"George Phelps! Head of security here at the bank. He was my boss."

"Was until when?"

"Uh…two – uh – about two months ago…. He pointed to the image of Sarah on the screen. "…when _she_ fired him."

John and Ellen looked at each other in sudden understanding. The captain patted the security guard's shoulder and thanked him before escorting him out of the mobile command post.

**City of Arcadia, Walpster Street**

**10:30**

Dean finished questioning one of the bank patrons that had made it out of the bank in time and who also believed that the suspect was part of an Iranian conspiracy and some more terrorist shit that he'd had to cut her off in the middle of explaining the past conspiracies that the US government had covered up.

"Captain!" Another officer called John Winchester's attention. "You're going to want to hear this."

Dean followed his father to a woman and man that stood together, the man with his arm around the shaking woman.

"Why don't you tell Captain Winchester here what you just told us?" One of the officers gestured towards the distraught woman.

"Look. What he's doing…I'm not saying it's right, but…Sarah Blake came to us about a year ago, when our numbers were getting really low and they sent her in to get us back on the right track." The woman started saying. "Corporate clean-up, you know? We were in trouble and turned us around."

The man interrupted. "But lots of people lost their jobs. Those of us that stayed got little to no time our families. My wife just had a baby a week ago. I barely see either of them. But it's not like Blake cares, she's a freaking robot."

The woman nodded seriously. "I'm just saying, if I were her, I wouldn't want to be alone with a former employee who was armed."

**City of Arcadia, CCB Community Bank (Walpster St.)**

**10:31**

Alex was tying a strip of her shirt around the woman's leg, her hands slippery with blood. It was a horrific sight that made her fingers tremble in sync with the woman's tremors. The hallway that their captor had barricaded them in had windows along the way on one side. The painted glass made it too difficult to see outside. The subject got up from his seated position next to her and leaned against the wall opposite from them, periodically glancing out the window with the gun held against his chest. He seemed paranoid, like he was waiting for the officers to burst in again.

"Please." Sarah croaked feebly, dried tears on her cheeks.

Alex tried to shush her but the man pointed the gun in her face and told both of them to shut up.

"Please, George."

Alex squeezed Sarah's shoulder. "Hey, don't –"

"I told you to fucking _shut up_! I don't want to hear one word out of you, do you understand me? I gotta think…" He put his hands to his head. Alex noticed they were shaking.

A few seconds later, a cell phone rang and all three parties looked surprised as George pulled out a cell phone from his pocket. He answered it slowly, suspicion all over his face.

"Yeah?"

In the hallway so close to each other, Alex could hear Ellen on the other side of the line.

"Is this George Phelps?"

He reacted immediately, springing up from his crouch and peering out the window

"I'll take that as a yes." Ellen's voice sounded tinny, yet loud in the empty hallway. "Colleague identified your voice, George, so…can we talk straight?"

George crouched down again and his eyes were wide, pupils vibrating with fear and anger. He shot Alex a deadly look as Ellen continued talking.

"First of all, this is a big relief. We thought you were a pretty bad guy. But now that I've seen your file, I think you're a guy who got kicked to the curb, and now wants a little payback. I don't think you want to hurt anybody."

"I'll tell you _exactly_ what I want." George said angrily; he pointed the gun at her face and Alex flinched. He was directing all his anger towards her, a tangible target. "You know exactly what I want, it's exactly the same as before and now I know I can't trust you."

"I want you to trust me, George."

"Yeah? Well then you shouldn't have sent in the cavalry then… should you 'ave?" He glared at her. Alex watched his fingers tighten around the gun as he bit his lip. "You know what? I was going to give you just less than an hour from here. But now after what you've done…that's going to be half an hour." He looked over his shoulder out the window. "You don't give me what I want in _one_ half hour, I'm going to shoot the pretty doctor and the fucking manager, right here."

Ellen didn't miss a beat. "George, listen, I'm going to do everything I can but a half hour is not enough time to get you that kind of cash."

He tilted his head. "Cash? We're not going to do this cash. No…No, listen, this is what you're going to do. You're going to transfer that money right in this bank. I got an account number for you."

Alex looked down at Sarah, wondering why George had suddenly changed his method of retrieving the money. Just what was this guy's deal and what had happened to him?

"Mark it down. I won't say it again." He pinched the bridge of nose with the hand holding the gun and Alex breathed a little easier without staring down the metal barrel. "Oh-six…what is it, what is it…nine-eight-one-zero-nine, okay?" He licked his lips. "Then I'll get the boss lady over here, take her to a computer, and she's gonna verify for me whether that money's received within the next half hour. And if it isn't, I'm going to put a bullet in both their heads. Okay?" He got all riled up again, crouching up to peer through the window. "And don't make the mistake of thinking I won't do it, because I will. It'll be very easy after what she's done to me!"

Sarah turned her head into Alex's shoulder, her own shoulders shaking with shobs.

"Okay, George, let's forget about her and talk about why you're here."

"Why I'm here?! I'm here because of what she's done to me!" George clicked the safety on and off menacingly, staring hatefully at two women in front of him.

Sarah whispered. "It… it wasn't personal."

"What did you say?" His attention was diverted and Alex could hear Ellen on the other side trying to calm him down. "Shut up. No! I – I want her to tell me." He pointed the gun at Sarah who flinched violently away from the threat. "Pretty please?"

Alex tried to take control of the situation. "She's lost a lot of blood, she doesn't know what she's saying, she – "

"Shut! Up!" George cocked the gun at Alex who fell silent again. "I want her to tell me how _twenty_ years of a man's life ends up worth practically nothing?! You tell me how a man works, doesn't put a foot wrong his _whole_ life, and then at the end… you had 'im a check and it's worth like, one week's salary for every year worked. What am I supposed to do with all that money, buy myself a car?!" He laughed derisively. "Is that what I'm supposed to do? Would you mind explaining to me how you come with that figure? How'd you come up with that number?" He cocked the gun at pointed it directly in Sarah's face.

The lady manager cringed into Alex who tightened her hold on her shoulder. She couldn't say anything. She didn't know enough about the situation. He was obviously angry and on a revenge spree; those were the worst kind. It would be better for Ellen to handle it.

"It's a standard termination package, George." Sarah said weakly, shaking her head. "It…wasn't personal."

"Well you're missing all the comedy." He said into the phone. "It wasn't personal. That's what she says. _Wasn't_ _personal_?! Fucking hilarious."

Ellen said a few more words but George wasn't paying attention. He ended the call, a maniacal smile on his face as he laughed again – a hollow, creepy sound. He got to his feet and looked down at the two women he had taken hostage, one bleeding and other defiant. Alex looked him straight in the eye.

He flicked his wrist, holding the gun wrecklessly. "You know what? This is looking pretty bad for you…._boss lady_."

**City of Arcadia, APD Mobile Command Post**

**10:42**

Thoughts were spinning through Ellen's head as Frank Deveraux typed on the laptop next to her. Their on shift technical genius was currently pulling up the account number to find out more about George's motive. Frank suddenly peered closer at the screen.

"It's a straight payment account. You put money in, the holder withdraws." Frank's fingers typed quickly. "This one's for…Saint Ignatius Home's Limited, whatever that is."

"Oh hell…" Ellen, upon hearing the information, dropped her head into her hands.

"What, you know it? What is it?" Frank looked at her.

"It's a retirement home in Humboldt." The lieutenant sighed.

"I'll go." He was already closing his laptop. "I can get the answers there faster."

Ellen rubbed her eyes tiredly as she watched George stand over the two women in the video. "Drive fast."

**City of Arcadia, CCB Community Bank (Walpster St.)**

**10:43**

When Ellen called back again, the conversation was short. He hung up before she could say more than _listen to me_. Alex hung her head, trying to regain control of her fear and the chill that was spreading through her body. She was so tired of the constant tension and she wanted to get out, stay alive.

When Sarah tried to explain herself, saying things like "I'm sorry, I'm sorry", he placed duct tape over her mouth and smashed the gun into the side of Alex's face when she tried to protect the wounded woman from anymore traumatization. Licking the blood from the corner of her lip, Alex resumed her silent vigil sitting against the wall with Sarah's head in her lap. Sarah's skin was cold and she was still losing a lot of blood, the redness soaking through the thin handmade bandage Alex had attempted to tie tightly around the bullet wound.

**City of Arcadia, APD Mobile Command Post**

**10:49**

Ellen answered her cell phone on the first ring. "Harvelle."

"It's Frank."

"You at the retirement home?"

"George's wife has Alzheimer's."

"Dammit." Ellen rubbed her forehead tiredly.

"Diagnosis was six months ago. Early onset, usually means rapid decomposition. She's…she's in pretty bad shape. But now there's another problem. They're going to kick her out. She doesn't have the money."

It was all coming together now.

"Thanks, Frank."

**City of Arcadia, CCB Community Bank (Walpster St.)**

**10:53**

"So what's going on? Where's my money?" He answered the phone quickly this time and Alex knew it was because their time was almost up. What was Ellen planning?

She heard Ellen say, "What I got is two names. First name is George. Hardworking guy, done everything right his whole life, married for twenty-five years to and here's the second name, Stephanie Phelps, a hairdresser, or used to be, and right now she's not doing so well. A few years, she might not be able to do anything at all."

It clicked in Alex's head and she looked, horrified, at the man standing before her who currently had a shell-shocked look on his face. It was so much worse than she ever could have imagined. It was all about his wife. All about love.

"And the kind of place that she needs to be in…doesn't come cheap. That sound right, George?" Ellen said softly.

"Well you tell me, Ellen, that sound right to you?"

There was a pause. "No."

He echoed her. "No."

"No that doesn't sound right at all. Doesn't sound right that you lose your job, your insurance, a month after you find a home for her. You work hard your whole life and something like Alzeihmers' comes along and…suddenly the most important person to you can't even remember your name, that's not right."

George swallowed hard and stopped in his pacing. "No."

"But neither is what you're doing, George, you know that."

Alex looked at Sarah who had her eyes closed. Her breathing was shallow, but Alex could tell the woman was listening because of the way her lips were trembling like she wanted to cry.

"I know…I know!" The man ran a distraught hand through his hair. "But I tried, Ellen, I tried, I did. I've tried to look for another job, look for anything! It ain't happenin' okay? I've looked! I've tried to get a loan. But what am I supposed to do at my age? It's not exactly easy out there to find a job. And then…let's be realistic about it! How am I supposed to pay anybody back? It's stupid! Okay, so that's it, I'm at my wit's end right here. This is my last chance!"

His eyes were wide with a sadness that Alex couldn't even comprehend. His face was haggard and he looked older and more a man that had lost everything than a cold blooded killer. She could understand doing wicked things to save the people she loved. She couldn't imagine being in his situation, if Sam or Dean were…

"I know you're feeling alone right now, George, but – "

"Being alone? That's not what's scaring me. I'll tell you what's scaring me. It's my wife gets kicked out of that home and then I'm not in a position to take care of her. That's what's scaring me okay? That woman there…my wife has always taken good care of me. _Always_."

She couldn't bear to hear the heartbreak in his tenor voice. It wasn't right. This whole situation wasn't right.

"It's the least I can do. I gotta take care of her." His voice broke and he leaned hard against the wall, his back towards Alex and Sarah. "I'm…I…I'm just trying to do what's right."

"There isn't anybody in the world who wouldn't understand that." Ellen's voice was kinder. "I bet you Sarah's family would understand that."

Sarah was looking at him with tears in her eyes, hands trembling as she realized just how much pain he had suffered because of the decisions she'd been forced to make. He sniffled, wiping a quick hand across his face.

"Okay." He turned back towards his hostages. "Ellen, look, I'll tell you what. Let me…Let me talk to my wife and I'll just…I'll end this okay? It'll be over."

"What do you mean it'll be over?"

"I mean if you let me talk to my wife…" He cast a soulless look at the woman he perceived as the one who'd ruined his life. "I'll come out and I'll bring both girls with me. I won't hurt them. I'll give up, okay? Just let me talk to my wife."

There was a tangible silence before Ellen said, "Okay, George, just hold on, I'll get your wife on the phone."

**City of Arcadia, APD Mobile Command Post**

**10:59**

"Deveraux."

"Hey, he's ready to come out but he wants to talk to his wife." Ellen held the phone tightly in her hand. "Now if I let him do it, he'll probably kill himself. But if I don't, he'll go off and I risk losing the hostage…and Alex."

"Tough call."

Ellen closed her eyes. "Put her on the phone."

**City of Arcadia, CCB Community Bank (Walpster St.)**

**11:02  
**

"Steph?"

A soft, female voice answered, "Hello?"

He smiled and Alex thought it would break her own heart the way his eyes lit up at the sound of her voice. "It's me, it's George. How-how you doing, pretty girl?"

"Where are you?"

"Oh, I'm just around the corner. I'm really close by." He slid down the wall and sat with his knees to his chest, looking at the two women in front of him without really seeing them. "So tell me how you're doing. Tell me how your day's been."

"Alright…I think." Stephanie replied haltingly. "George, did I do something wrong?"

"What? He wiped the tears falling down his cheeks and Alex had to look away. "What are you talking about?"

"It's just… you aren't here." Her words were sweet and sad, filled with the years of tender love. "Did I do something to make you go away? Is that why… I'm alone?"

He was silent for a long time. Alex watched as he swallowed a couple of times, licking his lips and staring up at the ceiling like he was trying to keep tears from falling.

"Now you listen to me Stephanie Jarrett Phelps. I just want you to know one thing, okay?" He took a shuddering breath that bordered on the edge of a sob. "_Anything_, anything that ever went right in my life is directly due to you. Now do you understand me?"

The sun filtered through the windows, painting his face a mix of rubies and emeralds and sapphires, the golden light bathing his forlorn figure. George's eyes were shining as he clutched the phone to his ear.

"Hey Steph, just want to tell you something." He looked at Sarah and then closed his eyes, finally letting a few tears slip down his face. "I'm real sorry."

It was innocent and childlike the way she said, "What for?"

"I gotta go now, okay?"

The hallway was silent as she said, with a certain clarity, "Okay. I love you, George."

The sun was glowing brilliantly on the plain walls. Alex placed a trembling hand over her mouth. She wanted to cry for the woman slowly losing the memory of her most precious person. It wasn't fair.

He was going to kill himself. It was him or them. After all, he'd apologized to the love of his life. He didn't want anymore. He didn't _need_ anymore.

He set the phone down gently on the floor and scooted over to where Sarah was lying on the ground. She shied away from him momentarily before he slowly ripped the duct tape from her mouth.

"Go. Take her."

Alex helped Sarah up, one arm supporting the injured woman. She watched as George picked up his phone and placed it in his pocket.

"What are you going to do?" Alex asked quietly.

"What does it matter?" He shoved her angrily. "Get out of here before I change my mind."

She looked at the gun and then at him. "You're coming with me."

"What?"

Sarah and Alex exchanged significant glances. Blood dripped down her arm and her face throbbed where he'd hit her, but at this very moment, Officer Winchester was back and she wasn't going to let anyone die on her watch.

"We can help you, George." Alex held her hand out, palm upwards. "I want to help you. You don't deserve this. Your wife loves you and you should be by her side. Don't leave her alone, George. _Please_, don't leave her alone."

"I can't… I can't take back what I've done." She could see it in his eyes, how much he wanted to believe her. "I can't…"

"You can." Alex slowly placed her hand over the one holding the gun. "It'll be okay. She needs you now, more than ever. Come with me and I'll help you take care of her. We'll find a way. She's the only thing that matters right?"

"Of course." He didn't move.

"Stephanie _loves _you." Alex's own voice broke as she thought of how much he'd done for the one person he loved. The power of this feeling that connected two people for life. It was magnificent and it was terrifying. "And if you loved her, you wouldn't leave her alone."

"I…" He looked helpless, fighting whatever inner demons that were currently plaguing him.

"Do you love her?" She said softly.

"Yes!" He lurched forward with the surety of his outburst, eyes blazing. "_Of course_, I love her!"

"Then…come with me."

* * *

**Criticisms are welcome because I may rewrite the last segment. **


End file.
